


Filtered Light

by aeskah



Series: Side | Line [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Additional Warnings in Chapter Headers, Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Changelog in Notes, Exploring Consequences, Game Events Canon Compliant, Gen, Mentioned Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Not Beta Read, Occasionally Edited After Post (changes not plot-centric), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-01-22 12:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 95,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21301961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeskah/pseuds/aeskah
Summary: Driven from her home by a tide of Heartless, Sora's Mother tries to find and save her son.New chapters added every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.Next Update: fourth Sunday in January
Relationships: Sora's Mother & Selphie (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Side | Line [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829104
Comments: 176
Kudos: 73





	1. Destiny Islands: Part I

"Sora, dinner's ready. Come on down."

Nova tipped vegetables onto plates with practiced ease. Then she paused, skillet in hand. Confused.

It usually took seconds for thundering feet to cascade overhead. Sora wouldn't appear so much as launch himself from the staircase. A quick hug, and half of his dinner would vanish with a breath. Nova had never seen anyone eat so fast, though she'd learned to find the humor in it. Her son was beginning to grow past the limits of his usual clothes: it wouldn't be long before his legs and arms caught up with his feet and hands and then she'd never be able to keep enough food in the house.

If he didn't kill himself first pinwheeling from one play fight to another.

Speaking of... he'd been so quiet earlier. The smile had been genuine, but he'd vanished to his room as soon as he'd tied his boat down. Nova had watched the evening sky unfold alone, without the usual exuberant re-telling of who had scored the most points that day. Tracking which of his friends won races or avoided the most hits while they swung around sticks was usually the highlight of his visits to the smaller island near their home. Had something happened?

A trace of unease shivered down the back of Nova's neck. She leaned out of the kitchen to peer down the hall, up towards the second floor. "Sora?"

His room was right at the top of the stairs, close enough she could usually see a hint of movement underneath the door: if it wasn't left wide open. A dim light meant the lamp had been lit, but something seemed... off.

Shadows slithered out of an eerie darkness and writhed where light ended. A few stretched long, against the wall, while more seemed to pool in place before scuttling down towards her. Almost like... almost like...

Two pale amber eyes glistened wide from the lantern light behind her. Another pair bobbed awake. And another. And another.

_ Oh no._

_ No, no, nononononono-_

Surprise shrieked out of her. Nova swung her hand wide and smacked the first shadow into the wall by accident. Long-forgotten training snapped together a sluggish second later. Before the first had slithered into a heap on the floor she had her frying pan pointed at the rest like a mallet.

Some shadows folded into the ground to avoid her, only to find themselves smacked, spattered, and slipping on dribbles of oil. The rest faced their doom with blank surprise, clogged in a small hallway without hope of avoiding the unexpected menace inside of it.

Her reprieve was short: more peeled out of the ground from behind and grabbed at her heels. Nova kicked out from the tangle of fingers and vaulted for the stairs. Cast iron swung wide: "Sora!"

She had to get to her son.

A dark, wiggling tangle reared up in front of her. Gravity went sideways; Nova rolled mid-air and drove the skillet forward into a sweep. Little shadows spurted all directions. Metal thunked hard into wooden stairs. New cracks bellowed protest, and she groaned above them, slammed forward too far, too quickly. Her body wouldn't respond as it used to.

But that didn't matter. _It didn't matter_. Nova grabbed the upper floor and leveraged herself into another turn, left shoulder distant and numb. Yellow eyes glowed at her from all directions.

And somehow, the door she wanted swam into focus between them. Somehow, she slid inside the last few feet, legs swinging wild, and kicked it shut behind her.

Sora's room.

Empty.

Her eyes dimmed. Her heart seized.

Choked.

_ Heartless eat the strongest light._

No.

_ Heartless always win the fight_.

No.

**_Nonononononono-_**

A thin wail shattered hope like glass. Nova struggled to her knees, unable to breathe. Stray thoughts picked through the shards, razor-thin pain trailing ribbons of fire through the haze:

:_A messy room covered in discarded clothes:_

_ :Rumpled blankets hanging off an empty bed:_

_ :A toy boat swinging above a small, unused desk:_

_ :Harpoons tossed by wind and scattered across the floor:_

_ :A storm raging through the open window:_

_:And Heartless scrabbled under the door:_

Heartless grabbed-

**_Get up!_**

Instinct pushed Nova to her feet. She staggered to the bed and leaned over the windowsill.

Something metallic clanged protest. Nova looked at her left hand in surprise, fingers still clamped white and cold around the handle of her frying pan. Her shoulder throbbed, and the rest of her arm prickled in response, half-asleep. A bruise, then, and a bad one. She shouldn't expect to move as well as she remembered. It had been far, far too long since any of that had mattered.

But now...

A giant ball of swirling darkness hovered over the children's island.

An invasion. The Heartless had found the door to the world's heart. They would devour it soon and cast all the Destiny Islands into the Realm of Darkness.

She'd seen it happen only once before; survived it by pure chance. This time, no one would be so lucky. They had no way to escape.

More Heartless whispered into the room. The vague figures seemed wary of her now and wavered against the door, eyes pale and staring. What were they waiting for?

Nova peered into each one, trying to see. Which one was Sora? Did he remember her?

Would he know if his shadow plucked out her heart?

A dozen Heartless bobbed and wiggled; sidled forward.

Nova turned away. She would give him that peace, if the memory ever came to haunt him.

If her son ever returned to light.

The cloud of darkness covered the sky now. Wind kicked up towering waves, smashed into the pier and up against the walls of their house. Her own small boat rode with it, still tethered, and flung against the ground with a crack that set her teeth on edge.

_ One boat..._

Nova slapped the wall with the skillet and gasped. Pain thrummed down her arm, but she ignored it, already halfway through the window.

_One_ boat._ Her_ boat. Sora's boat was missing.

Sora was missing.

_Of course. _

They'd slipped away before, to play under the stars, long after sunset.

He was at the island. With the other children.

Underneath the apex of a dark, swirling vortex, ready to fall to the Heartless.

_ No._

Nova felt relief, purpose, and panic bubble up and choke her, all at the same time. She felt the sudden urge to laugh, to cry, to sing. Her son was alive.

In danger. But not lost to darkness.

_Not yet._

Heartless lost patience at last. They slithered up behind her. Claws slashed out-

-and met empty air. Nova tumbled out of the window, a desperate smile lit across her face.

She would save her son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's always bothered me that Sora's Mom -and anything about his relationship with his family- vanishes after she has her two(?) lines of dialogue in Kingdom Hearts I. She doesn't appear in any of the games... why? Is there a good reason? Could I think of something that would fit within canon? 
> 
> Characters from the main series will make cameo appearances occasionally. I also thought it would be fun to structure it like a Kingdom Hearts game, so we'll be visiting Disney worlds. 
> 
> This story isn't complete, yet. I'm not certain how long it will eventually be, but I will do my best to keep to schedule. I am also using this fic as a learning experience, to help me practice and improve my writing. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Can't guarantee I will see them all in a timely fashion (especially while I'm drafting the next section), but I appreciate them!


	2. Destiny Islands: Part II

Heartless swarmed the streets, crawled down walls, choked the air. They sifted up through every crevice and doorway, claws extended: eager and silent. Flashes of light popped out of people like firecrackers, moments of wonder and joy quickly extinguished. Terror seized each breath, blown in by a wave of darkness that ripped through tiled roofs, upended carts, and shattered windows. Even the ground rattled and twisted under their feet as the world groaned in agony.

Nova slid with it, found her balance, and kept running.

_A boat._ She had to find a boat.

Her own had sunk without a thought, damaged beyond repair. She sprinted for the public docks now, hoping against all odds that any dinghy large enough to carry her had survived the waves.

Hoping to reach the children's island in time.

Crowds of people thinned around her. Friends and neighbors left standing fled for any hope of survival or stood their ground under makeshift barriers, desperate and outnumbered. She managed a few solid hits on the Heartless as she passed by, ignoring the screams with gritted teeth.

It had to suffice. She couldn't do anything better.

_Not now._

The frying pan had seen better days. Sizeable dents had developed in the cast iron, though it still held together better than another makeshift weapon might have. Larger Heartless with quick spinning attacks had caught her by surprise more than once: they'd erupted out of the ground and slammed into her attempts to shield. Her sore arm throbbed with ugly pain, off hand faring little better. A few more solid hits and she wouldn't survive.

But she had to.

She _had _to.

Dozens more trailed her from the sides of empty streets; bolder shadows vanished as soon as she crashed through them. Not destroyed, no. They wouldn't disappear for long. Only one thing could cleanse a Heartless for good and she had nothing like it.

A faint twinge of guilt and regret fluttered up; Nova quashed it with the same brutal efficiency she used to slap another shadow away. She couldn't offer anything more.

_Not now._

The last stretch of road finally split the horizon: part of the path broke free and descended gently to another beach while the other half took a sharp turn for the docks. Nova slid to a halt, boots tearing into the ground, dirt coughed into a cloud. She caught her breath in horror. Awe.

The children's island loomed large in front of her, wavering under long, torn shreds of clouds. Land hovered in shattered pieces while a massive vortex drew them slowly up towards the sky, deep purple and blue swallowed into a center of endless shadows. Some kind of... thing balanced on top of the largest piece; even from that distance, she knew the black smudge marked an immense dark power.

_Oh, Sora_.

How could she get there in time? Was there any time left? Any at all? What could she do?

**_Yes. What would you do?_**

"Stop it. Take that!"

A shrill voice lifted above the chaos. Nova wiped stinging eyes and raised her battered weapon.

Another gaggle of shadows swarmed the beach below her. They surrounded a small figure dressed in bright yellow.

Despite the peril, her heart lifted. If Selphie was here, surely the other children...

No. Don't hope.

_Don't hope._

Her feet moved before she could think. Nova gripped the frying pan tight and barreled towards the fray, sand flying everywhere. Heartless tumbled end over end, smashed flat by an unexpected wave. More ghosted in behind to take their place, quick and persistent. She stumbled over the uneven surface, squashed slippery, pointed fingers under her heel to right herself, and kept running.

Another group clustered around Selphie, as close as they dared. She slapped them away with a long, thin whip: a loud _crack!_ jolted the air every time shadow heads slid out of the ground.

_Good girl_.

It wouldn't last for much longer. Nevermind the shock, Heartless hardly cared about her weapon. They'd surrounded her on all sides, too many to track. Three more came in from behind at that moment, unseen, unknown. They latched onto her hair; pulled her off balance.

Selphie shrieked.

Nova leaped.

Apply enough force, and shadows winked out in a puff of ash. Even without the right weapon to release their captive hearts, they would discorporate.

Vanish.

Tarnished skills dropped Nova like a meteor. Shock waves rippled out from contact: flattened the storm into stillness. Heartless shot out in all directions, pale eyes lost to swirling darkness and scattered with explosive impact.

Salt spray hammered them in response. The ocean reached up, and fell short; restless, angry.

Her frying pan was ruined. Distorted cast iron fell to the ground; the handle followed it, belled off the edge with a dull ringing.

Nova clicked her tongue at the sudden noise. Movement startled behind her; she stood to face it and instantly found herself flat on the sand. The world spun in circles, over and over, both arms now aching at various speeds to counterpoint.

"M-miss Nova?"

A timid hand touched her left shoulder. Nova yelped and locked her teeth in the same instant; swallowed a cry. Vertigo tilted up and down in crazy circles. Pain raced with it, thudding strong measures in jagged time. A moment...she just needed a moment...

Warmth raced down her body, her fingers and toes tingling in reaction. Nova gasped; choked. She turned over onto the sand. A few tendrils of a green, glowing fluid flew out as she coughed, again and again.

Someone thumped her back. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do. You fell and wouldn't get up and I had a potion in my bag-"

"It's o-" Nova gasped, cleared her throat, and tried again "-it's okay, Selphie. Glad- glad you had it."

"I wouldn't have had it at all if everyone wasn't trying to sail off without me." The girl flopped to her knees with a sigh. "How did you do that? I didn't know you could do that."

_Been a while_... Muzzy thoughts drifted. Rising fear pinned them back into place; senseless words untangled. "Sail away... who's everyone?"

"Oh! Ummm..." Selphie flushed and looked down at the empty bottle in her hands. Then she snapped her head up; green eyes flashed. "Kairi, Riku, and Sora, that's who. They built a raft and were gonna sail away without me. I saw Kairi sneaking out tonight and I didn't want her to leave without at least saying goodbye." Her voice trailed off. "Or letting me on..."

Nova realized her mouth had started drifting open and closed it with a snap. She took a breath. Salt tang mixed with dust. "Did you see Sora?" she asked.

Hopes shriveled to nothing as the girl shook her head. "No." Selphie's hair ends twitched still. She pointed. "But I- I saw Kairi go there."

Both of them followed the trembling line with their eyes. Nova closed her own for a space that seemed long enough to hold eternity.

She opened them again; forced herself to look.

The children's island had changed again. It arced upward now, stretched and trailing towards the looming maelstrom of darkness above. Part of it looked as if a giant meteor had crashed into it, land prisoned in the moment and full of frozen curls and waves that rippled up towards the sky. The rest shaved off in pieces, large corners left suspended mid-air while smaller debris scattered around it in a cloud. A couple of paopu trees stood fast, brave twigs defiant against the storm.

They never had a chance.

One large mass of darkness lifted from broken earth and splintered wood. It spiraled end-over-end, pulled inexorably upwards towards the whirling mass. A glint of light -bright, but so very, very small- raced after.

Nova reached out for it. Her heart ached, frozen with certainty, with shame, with fear. Her mouth wouldn't speak. Her mind screamed instead.

_Sora!_

The tiny light flickered at her. Winked once, as if in farewell.

And vanished.

**_Sora!_**

Walls slammed down. An empty place full of nothing filled her to the brim, rolled over and swallowed her heart in a thick fog. Fears, hopes, despair, sorrow... love.

All lost.

Sharp emotions drowned in a dull sea of indifference. Nova gasped for light, and found only grey: colorless, vague and numb.

Harsh edges of sound scraped through her ears. More noises came through: yelling; sharp, hasty cracks of a whip; a few drawn out thumps crashed to the ground. And then someone was pulling at her arm. Nova tried to shake loose, but the force was persistent. More noises pried at the shell around her mind: words finally reached inside "-have to go. Miss Nova! Miss Nova! We have to go-" Selphie's grim panic filled her vision "-we have to go now!"

Nova couldn't remember screaming; a raw throat convulsed in sudden pain. Her body curled into itself, stiff and sore, knees and hands pressed against harsh sand, each point scoured to red, on fire. Muted feelings itched like an unhealed wound. Thoughts circled and cried like seabirds. "W-what-?"

"We have to _go_," the girl insisted; she pushed and pulled until it was less effort to move than to stay. To move: not to think, not to think...

_Sora..._

Heartless flickered back and forth around them, so close, so close. They were running now, running, running up the endless street and away.

Away from the frantic, terrible abyss, its wide, gaping maw gnawing at the bones of their world.

The darkness would swallow them whole.

Soon.

It had to.

There was nothing left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted a tiny bit earlier than anticipated. 
> 
> I'm not certain of the actual configuration of the town beyond cutscenes, so I tried to logic my way around. It'll probably end up being wrong the day they finally decide to let us wander around in a game. I am resigned to this fate.


	3. Destiny Islands: Part III

It was so very dark.

Nova and Selphie stumbled through a nightmare. The streets were picked clean of people, debris and broken clutter scattered everywhere they had fallen. Makeshift weapons gleamed in silent tribute. Sound rang uncanny and loud in the empty lanes: hungry shadows surrounded them in whispers, twin motes of pale flame dancing to and fro with each unseen movement. Not far enough behind, a deep rumble grew, the great snarl of a terrible beast eager to swallow the last wisps of light. It smelled of salt, of decaying things, and dirt rolled over to smother the last breath of the sea.

The Destiny Islands shuddered again: listless, dying.

Everything smeared past in a blur, drowned and dull. Nova could hardly see through tears she couldn't feel; her body stumbled forward automatically, stopped without the tug of an insistent hand. Anything could strike her down in a moment and she didn't care at all, at all, except that it would dull the exquisite ache of not-quite pain in her heart...

"Ow! Go away!"

The yellow smudge pulling her slipped sideways. Nova pelted forward another two steps before she caught against the corner of a building with bruising speed. A _snap!_ and a _crack!_ behind drowned out more hissing pain: she grimaced and ground water out of her eyes; raised her fists to fight.

And stopped with faint surprise. _Why?_

Selphie stood in front of her, bristling like an angry cat, hair puffed up and quavering straight out from her head. A teeming slew of Heartless slopped over themselves in a towering mass; close, but not advancing, huddled behind a makeshift barrier of carts and boxes.

One twitched a pointed toe closer. Another _snap!_ rang loud; the dark shadow went flying backwards and slammed into the rest. Nova caught a glimpse of it before it vanished, arms and legs flopping as the collective reared up and swallowed it whole.

Selphie saw her look and, impossibly, grinned. "Not bad, right? The boys aren't the only ones who can fight."

"With a..." Nova shook her head; squinted "...a jump rope."

The girl shrugged. "Works for me." The air split with another determined _crack!_

**_Much like a frying pan_.** A tiny thread of humor trickled away quickly. Nova gripped the wall to steady herself, trying to think.

The Heartless would tear the world apart.

_Heartless eat the brightest light._

The door to the heart of their world was open. It had to be. And dark shadows would devour that light and every other heart remaining.

They had nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

If she didn't know where her son had gone, she would look for him. Everywhere. Time and space... walls, worlds, none of them would matter.

If Sora was lost, not... not... he would-

No... no. She forced herself away from that thought. It led to nothing but circles, round and round, and a vague, vast hurt that itched and burned as if it could be -_should be_\- more.

Instead, she ground her focus to a fine point. **_Be in the moment_.** What was the best thing to do?

Where should they be at the end of the world?

"Selphie-" Nova paused, thought of all the things she should say, and simply didn't. "Where's your brother?" she asked instead.

"At home." The girl's eyes went wide. "No, wait! The shop- he was still working when I left. Do you think he's okay? Where is everyone?"

"Hiding, I think." _Not impossible._

**_Coward._**

_No, I-_

The girl's shoulders went up while her arms curled inward, braced for a heavy strike. A knot of jump rope crumpled tight between her hands. "I... I didn't tell him I left. Oh gosh, he'll be so mad." She closed her eyes and shook her head violently, voice rising: "But I- I wanted to go on an adventure, too! They were always talking about it."

"Kairi and Riku and-" **_Stop. Focus._** Nova shook her own head, dizzy with the effort, while thoughts twisted around themselves and circled... circled... "Let's just... Zell will be happy to see you safe." She tried to believe herself. "It'll be fine, let's- watch out!"

Sharp claws tore upward. Another of the large Heartless shadows sprang from the ground between them; it dropped and lunged.

Selphie screamed and flailed wildly. The shadow missed by a fingerwidth as the girl stumbled back-

-right into the squirming mass behind her.

Nova's back slammed into the wall, all breath gone at once. The world spun dim around the edges. She gasped and fell forward; reached for anything, any weapon at all.

Her fingers cracked against something solid. It tried to slide away; Nova dove after it and fumbled for a grip, her numb hands twisted around the haft and locked into position without effort. Familiar weight dropped into use; she braced both feet against the ground and kicked up, sharp end swung wide.

The large Heartless jerked in surprise. Or fear. Or nothing at all: the point of the harpoon tore through its back in one jagged, disintegrating streak. Lamp eyes flickered at her; bright motes vanished into a cloud of ash.

Nova wasted no time; she reached through the haze and seized a dangling backpack strap; pulled as hard as she could.

They tumbled out of the roiling shadows together, Selphie still yelling at the top of her lungs and snapping her jump rope at everything at once. It jolted across Nova's cheek before she caught it and had to let go, else risk her mad scramble for girl, weapon, and her own footing. Her eyes went blurry again; she blinked hard to clear them."Stop! Stop, it's me! It's me. Selphie!"

"-take that, and that, and th- ow!"

Thunder pounded the ground behind them. Nova risked a glance at the rest of the Heartless and paled. She grabbed at the girl and pulled again; matched a wild-eyed stare with one of her own.

_Run._

**_Run!_**

"Run!" she screamed. They fled together, down another street, forced to hurry, hurry, _hurry_.

A wave of darkness rippled up towards the shattered remains of the sky. Sparks and small bodies swirled together into a tornado: a demon tower. It pushed itself into a roar, smaller herald of the enormous maelstrom devouring everything else behind it.

They fled as fast as they could. The end of the world trailed close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be exciting, funny, slapstick, over-the-top action and (I hope) something closer to Kingdom Hearts charm later. After I started writing this it felt... too quick to say a few words about the destruction of an entire world before walking away. 
> 
> These characters are experiencing a part of what Sora, Riku, and Kairi escaped. I didn't want to leave the Destiny Islands without a goodbye; I hope you'll bear with me for a little while longer.


	4. Destiny Islands: Part IV

"Zell? Zell?!"

They arrived with the force of a gale, door slammed closed behind them with a dreadful _crack!_ Selphie dashed through shouting at the top of her lungs, across the room and out of sight in a instant.

Nova slumped against a wall behind her, breathing hard. They'd barely outrun the storm of Heartless; barely outrun the dark portal behind it. Soon, they wouldn't have anywhere to run. The only thing left was to face the end as bravely as they could.

_Like Sora._

Her heart twisted. Nova gripped the front of her shirt as the pain squeezed tight, into a fist, a stone. Then it sank without a whimper into the formless grey, walls rising again.

Cold analysis bloomed in its wake. Everything would end. She would have an end, soon.

_Soon._

Knuckles tightened to white around the harpoon. Nova felt helpless anger swirl upward, filling her to the brim. So many people... friends... and she couldn't... couldn't...

Feelings collapsed into a void, absent of weight. Little puffs of emotion wavered round and round the narrow confines of her heart, beating dense walls with a dusting of breath, of echoes. It was so empty; she'd forgotten how much it ached.

_Oh, Sora._

The cable garage was abandoned. One immense main room took up most of the building, while another door slammed open towards the back gave a glimpse of more deserted space beyond. Thick winds stirred from the right, raging darkness visible through the open tram door. A single car rustled stoic menace close above her. Even anchored to the mooring dock, the tram swayed back and forth, heavy mounting cables shivering with tremors where they connected to the dying world.

It was an honest surprise nothing had collapsed. Yet.

A quick test proved the door sound enough to keep for the moment. Nova made a satisfied noise and used the harpoon to limp her way to a stool. Most sat where they had been kicked nearby, scattered in front of sturdy wooden workbenches and shelves stuffed with parts and tools. A large shape under a heavy canvas dominated the last bit of space available in the room; she tapped the side with her weapon as she edged around. It was almost the size of the tram, but oddly shaped. And it didn't ring like metal. It... bounced?

Her thoughts tried to mobilize, to expand with wonder, but flattened quickly, too tired to think past initial surprise.

She sat down instead.

"Zell? Are you here?"

Selphie appeared again, still moving quickly. Her face pinched to a frown. "I can't find him. He must have gone to look for me." She stopped and looked at the floor; scrubbed at her cheeks until they turned red. "I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye."

Another sharp ache stabbed down; evaporated. Nova spoke carefully: "We could try somewhere else. Your house or..."

"It's gone. Zell's gone, too. He wouldn't leave without- he wouldn't..." A sudden gleam of teeth flashed in the gloom. "I'll find him."

Nova bit her tongue and looked away, towards the door. The Heartless wouldn't have left anyone behind. She couldn't... she wouldn't break another heart...

**_Coward._**

_Yes_, she admitted to herself.

Movement flickered behind them. Shadows seeped into the room, stretched from vague dark shapes into growing menace. Heartless eyes glimmered blank threats as they swarmed out of the floor. More peeled themselves from deep corners: a ready formed circle with no way through.

Alarms rang sluggish and stupid; Nova stumbled off her stool, tired of fighting, of running, of thinking...

Canvas snapped taut and drove her attention back around. She opened her mouth to shout a warning-

-and felt her chin drop to her knees.

A ship towered over her, built like a lop-sided bird with its wings partially spread. Solid, saturated colors jammed into each crack and crevice, every one a palette of joy to offend the dark and dismal light their world had become.

It was a Gummi Ship_._

A _Gummi_ _Ship_.

_How-?_

"Say what?"

Selphie was somehow asking questions and ignoring her in one breath, already underneath and half up the ladder. She wasted no time and shoved the door open, shouting into the center of it: "Zell! Stop hiding. It's not funny!"

More Heartless rustled in response. Nova heard them, but couldn't quite fumble sense out of shock. The bright, familiar blocks had broken unreasonable reality into a thousand pieces. Last time she'd seen anything like it-

The harpoon slipped towards the floor; her grip loosened without meaning to. Shadows crept closer.

Last time-

**_It doesn't matter._** **_RUN!_**

A demon tower exploded into the room.

Nova bounced against the side of the ship, breath driven from her again with bruising force. Her harpoon wedged itself between two blocks, buried deep to the haft. She scrabbled for purchase as the ship tipped over; found her weapon and held on with all her might.

Screams echoed from the inside as the wings flipped up, slammed back down, and everything hop-skipped into the air. The tornado sparked and raged at walls, spun faster and faster as it pulsed up towards the ceiling. Shadows scraped towards the center, boiled over with a pressed ball of Heartless anchored to its core. Wind kicked the tram car out of its moorings with a scream of agony; it tore a gaping hole into the wall and fled, anchor chains lashing like angry cat-tails behind.

They rode the ship in its wake, tossed around one wall to another before breaking free into open air. Nova's arm gave out with a last jarring bounce on the ground outside; she whiplashed against Gummi blocks, missed a clumsy fumble for the harpoon, and flew away, howling-

-right into the storm.

Hundreds of shadows surrounded her from all sides, clawing, tearing, reaching for her heart. Nova flipped end over end and felt sick as several seized hold. She tried to pull away; instinct made her latch onto one with both hands instead. It lurched through the air, wriggling clumsy zig-zags around and through. Then it yanked on her arms, hard. Wind plucked them from the center of the spiral; they tore away from the rest of the pack and zipped faster and faster, a tiny mote tossed around the outside of the turn. 

Nova squinted around a whirl of pain and gravity; a familiar, flat mass of blue wallowed closer. Heavy effort forced her body in line. She rolled and tossed the shadow away; dove at the tram car. Metal fractured with a booming thud under her feet. Tremors travelled up through her entire body and shook more unwelcome Heartless free. All remaining force pressed her down, and down, ratcheted tighter, and tighter, a coiled spring waiting to loose...

Shadows knit together; blotted out the sky with streaks of wavering dark.

A patch of garish color flashed through. And again.

Shock echoed back; split with a crack. Nova sprang free.

Moments sputtered past:

_:A hungry whirlpool of darkness swallowed broken walls, streets:_

_ :Rocks and trees lifted into a cloud:_

_ :Shadows cracked the garage roof and exploded out:_

_ :Heartless eyes flickered like dim stars:_

Nova sliced through all of it, arrowing towards the Gummi Ship. It spun like a top at the edge of the tornado, a leaf drawn along a leaping stream.

They drew closer.

And closer.

Closer.

She slapped into it at an angle and slipped on the landing: her body slid down the wing of the gummi ship until it fetched up hard against the bubble window of the cockpit. For a moment, she saw nothing but red churning towards darkness. Her heart welcomed it with relief.

**_NO!_**

A loud gasp popped underneath. More weightless, dizzying circles and she found herself collapsed on the floor inside the gummi ship, suddenly bereft in silence.

The latch clicked a snappy retort. Another body thumped down next to her. "That was _scary_," Selphie wailed and gripped her hand tight. "Are you hurt? What can I do?" Panic raised her voice to a shrill degree.

Nova gaped at her. Breath hissed, then bellowed into starved lungs. "Ahhhh...?" she managed.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute- I have another potion... my bag- wait! Oh no, no, nononononono-" her helper jumped up and bolted out of sight.

Everything lurched backwards at once. Nova flailed for a handhold and caught a chair. Her knees cracked against the side; she groaned and forced her trembling arms to dig for purchase.

Frantic noises whistled from the front of the ship. Selphie leaned over an extensive console, buttons and levers clacking in bursts as her hands moved over them. "I don't know how to fly, I don't know how to fly-" she spotted Nova's face and made one of her own "-it's not supposed to fly, I don't know how to make it fly!"

The ship heeled sideways. Upended. They flopped nose to tail over and over again, spun dizzy inside the tornado, each turn smaller and smaller. The outside blurred into a formless black mask, ragged streaks of yellow eyes trailing throughout.

And then they exploded. Screaming. Twin arcs of flame trailed as the Gummi Ship's engines started, more speed piled on a projectile flung outward with the force of a thousand winds behind it.

Nova woke with a start, jammed between the cockpit window and a protruding block. Every indentation drove more bruises into her back and sides, fire travelling up and down her nerves with every touch. A grunt of effort and she wobbled to her knees on the floor. Selphie was already there: she'd managed to land on the ground, mostly unhurt.

And she was laughing. _Laughing_.

"It works!" She gasped with delight. "It works, I- I don't know how. How does it work?" She buckled both feet under herself and shuffled up. Soft giggles turned into a grimace. "I don't want to do that again. Ever, _never_ again."

Nova grunted in agreement. She felt turned inside out and pounded flat, every part of her still alive and thrumming with energy too strong to be swallowed. Stars burned bright outside the window, quiet, serene.

_Where were the Heartless?_

Light flashed, blinding. Nova pushed Selphie out of the way and turned-

-cried out.

A hole tore into the sky. But they were above the sky now, above their clear blue seas, above the tiny little island, above their home. Swirling darkness held the world in its teeth and, as they watched, swallowed everything whole.

Extinguished without a sound.

She couldn't see. Nova couldn't see anything anymore, despair a blindness more complete than any shadows could make, and far, far stronger than an empty heart. Insistent tugging on her arm drew her down, down; she wrapped her arms around Selphie in a fierce hug, trapped in a blur, thoughts drowned by loud sobs. The young girl cried for a long time while Nova watched the hole of their world fade away. Her reflection stared back without comfort, eyes grey and distant.

Lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Destiny Island crew never seem to be astonished by technology. Surprised by it, but never so out of touch they give the impression its a completely foreign concept. So I gave them a cable car.
> 
> Again, it'll end up wrong if an official run-around-the-islands option is ever released. A small price to pay, I think.
> 
> But! Here we are. Finally off the Destiny Islands and zooming towards adventure! 
> 
> An extra chapter will go up next week, as I'd like to head to break on a more upbeat note. Nova and Selphie will visit their first world starting in January- wonder what it could be?


	5. Interlude I: The Other Sky

_“I saw a monster today!”_

_ “You did?”_

_ “Well, I heard it. So, me an’ Riku went ta look for it.”_

_ “Weren’t you scared?”_

_ “Nuh-uh. Not me. Riku said he wasn't… he said it was just the wind.”_

_ “So, no monster.”_

_ “I guess not. But it could’a been one. We jus’ couldn’ see it.”_

_ “Oooooh… like an invisible monster.”_

_ “Yeah!”_

_ “Where do you think it came from?”_

_ “I dunno.”_

_ “Well, was it a big monster or a small monster? We could see if it's in one of my books.”_

_ “It was... big! An' dark. An' it looked scary, too!”_

_ “But I thought it was invisible.”_

_ “Oh. Well, I can see it if I want to.”_

_ “Ooooh. Okay. You’ll tell us if it’s around, right? Since the rest of us can’t see it.”_

_ “Yeah! I’ll protect you, an’ Riku, an’ Kairi, an’ everybody! No monsters’ll get anyone while I’m around.”_

_ “Okay. I’m counting on you.”_

_ “Yeah!”_

Nova stared out of the cockpit window. The small, dark hole of their world had drifted out of sight long ago, vanished into the vast, glimmering sea of the Other Sky. She kept her gaze fixed on the last hint of its shape, eyes burning echoes into traces of vivid white.

But the Destiny Islands no longer existed.

She dropped her forehead onto her knees: a short distance, as they were perched up by her chin. Everything in the Gummi Ship was sized for a child, the seats lower to the floor than comfortable, doorways too small, beds too cramped. It was a change from the usual: most things barely managed to fit for the exact opposite reason. It would be funny if she could remember how to laugh.

It was heartbreaking if she could remember how to weep.

More than physical discomfort, the scaled-down replicas of familiar things squeezed hidden pains tighter. She felt wrung out and dried, shredded to thin paper and blown away by a stiff breeze. Memories drifted past without meaning to. She didn’t want to see; couldn’t look away. Sora had been such a handful… such a delight…

Her heart pinched sharply once- twice.

Then it receded backwards into stolid, solid grey. Insulated and distant.

Numb.

“Miss Nova?”

Blank eyes left black space with confusion. She wiped dry cheeks and squinted over her shoulder. “You can call me Nova. I don’t mind.”

“That feels weird." Selphie flopped down next to her, eyes roving restlessly around the cockpit. Finally, she declared: “You know, we should’ve made this a little bigger.”

It took a moment to understand. “You built this?”

“Well, yeah.” A shrug.“ Zell and me. You remember the meteor shower?”

Nova nodded. It had been years, but the moment was unforgettable. Bright specks of light had cascaded from the sky into an immense waterfall, a shining curtain of stars. She’d brought Sora out to look and stood with him for hours, both of them marveling at the color and wonder of it all.

She remembered too, the deep sense of foreboding that had lingered for a long time after.

“It was when Kairi moved in with the mayor- right before that. Zell found some of these squishy blocks washed up on the beach…” she poked at the wall. They both watched it wiggle back into shape. Selphie’s voice wobbled the same amount; she swallowed and tried again. “I figured out they stick together really well. No one else wanted 'em, so we looked for them, all over the island. We even got Wakka and Tidus to help look. Sora and Riku, too.” Hair ends twitched with quiet laughter. “They made it a race, like always.”

“Of course they did.”

"We stored them in the garage and one of the old guys- Zell and me, we bothered them a lot, but they didn't mind -he said they were gummi blocks. And magic. Did you know that?"

"Yes."

Selphie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Sure, _you_ did. I didn't find anything in the library when _I_ looked." She patted the wall fondly. "I wanted it to be magic so bad when I found out. Guess he was right."

“It’s amazing." Nova shook her head and wondered: "Why did you build a ship?”

“I'd always wanted to fly one. And Zell said… Zell said…“ the girl took a deep breath “…he said I could do whatever I wanted. I mean, they were probably magic, so why not?” A sudden smile lit her face. “We borrowed that book and you didn’t get it back _forever_.”

“Oh. Oh!” Surprise popped out of her. It was brief and loud and swallowed up immediately, but lingered through the second stab of shock that followed. Nova’s jaw dropped. “_Boundless Boats and Solar Ships of the Air_\- you two wore it out reading it. I had to glue the cover back on.”

It wasn’t a common book to lose for weeks. The library hadn’t seen it checked out before and it hadn’t left the shelf since. Not many of the islanders had been interested in ships that traveled _out_ of water. That was a flight of fancy worthy of a good fantasy novel; having it presented as theoretical schematics complicated enjoyment of the topic.

_Come to think of it…_ she’d never figured out where the book had come from in the first place. Or how some of their other, odder tomes had arrived.

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” Selphie broke her concentration; narrow knees straightened legs until her feet pointed up from the heel, floor to the ceiling. She tapped the sides of her sandals together. “I kept putting things in wrong," she admitted. "It didn’t look like the pictures at all. I mean... I figured it wouldn't be the same, right? The material is just _so_ different, and- _rainbow_, but I got the outside to kinda match the shape. And blocks glowed sometimes: that was cool. 'cept I never figured out why. Or how to make it fly. Zell _wasn't_ helping- he didn't care like I did, but I guess-" her pout vanished inside an embarrassed shrug "-I guess he did find somewhere to put it when we finished. I didn’t wanna take it apart, even if it didn’t work.”

“Well, it works now.”

“I guess. I don’t know _how_.” She growled at the controls in mortal affront. The engines had cut out suddenly after they’d cleared the ruins of their world: now the Gummi Ship drifted forward on the strength of their momentum and nothing else. “I mean, we got to leave it in the garage because the guys didn't mind and the Mayor thought it’d make a good house for a playground or something. And that was okay: it didn’t move, even when I tried a hundred times. But I wouldn’t have given up my ship for anything if I thought it _could_.”

They stared around them in silence for a moment. Nova frowned and admitted: “I’m not sure I know, either. Can you figure it out now?” She had no idea where to start.

“Maybe… I guess… I dunno.” Selphie drooped over her knees; she hugged her arms around her chest and asked in a small voice, “Miss Nova, do you think they’re all okay? Wakka, and Tidus, and Kairi, and Riku, and Sora, and… and my brother?”

The sudden reminder of their loss punched every bit of air from Nova’s lungs. It _hurt_\- and then it didn’t, reduced suddenly to a dull, quiet ache with a flat, muffled pulse. But it ran _deep_. And it wouldn’t stop.

She stared out the window again. A reflection gazed back at her, eyes wide and blue.

Like Sora’s.

Doubt swallowed the first thing on her mind. Fear took the second. Both drowned quickly in the sea of ever-present grey. Finally, she turned away, and said: “I… hope so.”

The reflection shook its head.

A hand slipped into hers. Tears glimmered in the dim light. Selphie sniffed and managed a tiny smile. “Me, too.”

Nova tried her best; she tightened her grip and thought what comfort would sound like. “I’m sorry about Zell,” she said, quietly.

“I’m sorry about Sora.”

“Yeah.”

They drifted on in silence, alone with the stars. Off to the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I'm a little terrified of this creative thing I am doing. I do a lot of reading and research on good storytelling, but this is my first long-form... thing. And I worry: can I finish it? Will the story continue to make sense? Can I keep it going? 
> 
> It's hard to ignore the noise, but I'll keep giving it my best. One sentence at a time. :D
> 
> There will be a break for the rest of December. The story will pick back up the first Sunday in January. Hope you all have a lovely whatever-you-celebrate. And a lovely month in general, because why not?


	6. Wonderland: Part I

"Curiouser and curiouser."

"What?"

"Oh, the signs are spelling things."

"The signs are... huh." A bird with a beak shaped like a pencil finished dotting one last 'i' and hopped away to another branch, bound for the next tree. Two more birds with hammer heads followed, knocking gently on the wood as they went.

"They're not really words, I guess." Selphie scrambled closer. "What's a Tulgey- Tull-gee... what is it?"

"I've never heard of it before."

"Really."

"There are things I've never seen in a book, I promise." Nova glanced at the dark arc of forest surrounding them. Restless fingers rolled in and out of fists, uneasy without a weapon to grip. "We need to be careful," she said.

"It's just a pencilneck and his headbanging friends. Do you think they sleep in a toolbox?" The girl looked back at her and grinned.

"Selphie."

"C'mon, Miss Nova, it's a whole other _world_. There aren't any Heartless. Can we _go_?"

She ran ahead without waiting, delighted giggles popping out with each skip forward. Her dress had been traded for a pair of trim shorts, blue half-jacket, and bright yellow shirt. With the pink backpack bouncing along with her, Selphie stood out like a candle in a dark corridor.

_It's all so wonderful to someone who's never seen any of it... someone with an open heart..._ Nova sighed and followed at a discreet distance. If she couldn't keep the girl focused and on task, she could at least keep her in sight.

The path ahead appeared and disappeared in odd places. At one point, they'd seen a dog with a broom for a head and a duster for a tail sweeping it up. It had sneezed in affront and trotted away at their approach, over another little hill and out of sight; she turned back often after that to check their route. They'd wandered somewhere impossible, surrounded by odd things on an odd world. Finding where they'd hidden the ship when they needed to leave would be enough of a challenge; getting lost on their way would only make everything much, much worse.

A sudden bark of laughter brought her up short. Nova dashed around a massive tree and stopped; her teeth snapped together before another warning escaped. Selphie had found a bird with a large oval mirror growing in place of its eyes. Now they circled each other with the same stuttering, start-and-stop bobs and weaves. Laughter threatened to spoil the game: the girl's sides heaved and bent steps in wrong directions as she panted and lunged back and forth. It fluttered out of range every time, but she kept going, always a little behind her prize and not caring a bit.

_Sora would enjoy this, too_. Nova felt the dreadful words and hummed a little, to blur them away. She couldn't cry to dull the ache: the walls covering her heart were too thick. All of her strong emotions tangled in fog and drowned. She couldn't feel-

-but she could think. That would have to be enough. 

They had to find somewhere to go. And something to keep the ship moving. They'd been lucky so far: Selphie had figured out the controls and gotten them flying again. But, neither of them knew what fueled the Gummi Ship. Nova had exhausted her small store of knowledge quickly. She hadn't travelled in one since before Sora...

Her eyes squeezed closed; Nova wiped them with the back of her hand and frowned at it. No tears escaped but she couldn't stop the odd gesture.

It still felt normal: she wondered why.

None of her experience told her what to do next. It should have been impossible to find another world in the Other Sky. Nova hadn't expected to, not without any help or guidance. Walls held each world apart from the other, kept the order, kept the balance. Worlds inside the Other Sky remembered each other as fairy tales and myths; very few individuals knew how real their old stories actually were.

But, now the walls between the worlds were crumbling under the influence of darkness: something stronger and deeper than she'd ever known. Heartless had destroyed the Destiny Islands. They would swarm over and devour the hearts of other worlds as they found the same footholds. Familiar shadows had a new, terrifying power.

No one was safe.

A flicker of anguish ground into dust beneath her feet. She didn't have what she needed to purify a Heartless for good; she had nothing effective against the deadly swarm. And she couldn't find anyone who did. Her old life had been too long ago, too far gone.

_Until Sora_...

_And then_...

Pain sparked; died. Nova covered her heart with one clenched fist and kept moving.

More signs scattered everywhere around them, faint sounds of hammering trickling backwards through dense clusters of leaves, echoes of echoes of echoes. Arrows on top of labels pointed in all directions in an approximation of perfect nonsense. Selphie danced in circles underneath them, copying the movements and not going anywhere at all. 'This way', 'that way', 'yonder', 'down', 'up', 'go back': Nova stopped to read a few, concern growing. Was it advice or a warning?

"It's a warning, I suppose."

She jumped backwards in a breath; dropped into a crouch. "Who's there?" Nova demanded.

"Nobody of course," said nothing, somewhere in the branches of a nearby tree. "Because Nobody lives _there_."

"I suppose if you must," the voice continued from another spot, "a better question to ask is who isn't _there_? If Nobody is _there_, you see, then-" it bounced again "-Somebody would have to be _here_."

"What?" Nova shook her head. She frowned and peered up into thick shadows. "Where's here?"

"_Here_ and not _there_. Unless we must." A ribbon of pink appeared out of thin air. It coiled in a spiral outline as the empty space filled with purple. A sharp half-circle of teeth, two curious eyes, and pointed ears wavered in last. The now-visible cat settled on a branch and flicked its newly formed tail at her. "And of course, we mustn't."

"Why... not?" 

"Why not be Nobody? Well, it is rather uncomfortable, I'm afraid. But you could if you liked."

"I... could." Nova felt reason slipping; she shook herself and straightened. "Who are you?"

"Somebody. We're _here_, aren't we?"

"Well-"

"Whoa." A soft tug pulled at Nova's sleeve: Selphie's eyes were wide and shining. "It's a talking _cat_," she said.

"A Cheshire Cat, if you please," the animal corrected her. It picked its ears off of its head with its tail and set them down again. "And you're an Alice, of course."

"Alice? No, I'm Selphie-"

"What did you mean about a warning?" Nova finally managed to reorganize the disordered conversation back to the beginning. "The signs are a warning?"

The Cat stretched out onto the branch and grinned at her. "Oh, yes. Very much so."

"Of what?"

"Come again?"

"The signs."

"What signs?"

"Those signs, what..." Nova pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers. She couldn't remember asking anything in the first place and it still felt like she was learning half the information in all the wrong ways.

"Hey, so we're lost. Could you tell us where we are?" Selphie picked up the dangled sentence; she shrugged at Nova in apology.

"Oh. Well." The Cheshire Cat uncurled from one branch and recurled into the next. Purple and pink stripes unraveled, flowed, and wrapped back together around the prickly grin. "That depends on where you're going, doesn't it?" it asked, directly above them.

"I guess it does. Uh..." she twisted a lock of hair between her fingers "...so, could you tell us which way we need to go?"

"Do you know _where_ you're going?"

Selphie blinked at Nova and met a blank stare. "Nooo..." she said. "I guess not."

"Then why does it matter which way you go?"

"Because we'd like to get... somewhere?"

"Well, then." The Cat hopped up onto its back paws and paced on the branch. "You could go _this_ way," it said, and pointed to a sign of 'this' arrowing toward its heart. "Or, you could go _that_ way." The same thing happened with a sign of 'that'. "But-" hard consonants snicked through gleaming teeth "-I find it best to take the short cut."

It snapped a small twig like a lever. The front of the tree it stood on dropped in one big piece with a _whumph!_ like a drawbridge. Sunlight appeared, beaming down on full, leafy hedges stacked too high to see past and a lawn so green it glowed. The air smelled fresh, and clean, and heavy with... roses?

Nova heard a gasp. She dropped a hand on Selphie's shoulder before the girl could dash off. A rolling look of pure exasperation followed, but she stayed.

_Good_.

"Where does this short cut lead?" Nova asked the Cat. She felt awkward for her caution: the light was a welcome relief from the close, stifling woods. But something- some deeper sense of warning -kept her feet firmly planted on the other side.

An even wider grin invited her into some secret joke. "This way? That way? Does it matter? All ways are the Queen's ways anyways. Oh, but-" its expression darkened, even as the edges of its smile edged further up "-you should know. It's all mixed up thanks to the shadows. She's not happy she hasn't the right head to chop off, you see." The Cat stood on its own- literally -then picked it up and dropped everything back into place. "And the shadows are to blame. Tut, tut, it looks like rain. My, my..."

"Heartless." Nova heard her own voice hiss; alarm drifted up and hovered where she could use it. "What do you know about the Heartless?" she asked, abrupt.

"The shadows. The key. I'll never tell. Try asking yourself. If you bothered to be _here_." Colored ribbons unraveled slowly, peeling away from the chortling Cat until two eyes bounced madly above a gleaming crescent moon. One last glimpse of wide, white teeth flickered, then disappeared.

They watched the Cheshire Cat fade away in silence; Selphie broke it first, and whispered: "Did you get any of that?"

"No." Nova responded in a normal voice and winced. She continued at the same level: "But it said there were Heartless here."

"It said shadows."

"Heartless _are_ shadows. And there's a Queen who likes to behead things." She pinched her nose again. "No, let's go back and try again. We can find another world."

"Why?" Selphie tilted her head, puzzled.

"Because it's dangerous."

"Oh, c'mon Miss Nova. We can fight the Heartless." Selphie unhooked her jump rope from her belt and brandished it with a grin. "We should, right? I mean, what if they hurt this world, too?"

Nova looked down at her helpless, empty fists and frowned.

"Besides, maybe if we find enough Heartless, we'll find everybody else's hearts. Right? And we can save them!"

_No._

"C'mon!"

_ No. We can't._

She didn't know the right things to say. She didn't know how to feel when the right things were finally said. She didn't know how to help when Selphie finally heard them.

They didn't have the right weapons to fight the Heartless.

_We can't save anyone._

Nova winced. She opened her mouth and tried to explain. Glanced up-

-and found the space next to her deserted. A flash of bright pink caught her eye: Selphie had dashed inside the door and was already rounding a hedge, more laughter bubbling up behind her.

"Wait! Don't-" another blink and the girl vanished into green. Nova gaped at the empty space. She stumbled forward into a run. "Selphie, wait!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That darn cat. Writing clever things for it to say is actually quite difficult. :P
> 
> Welcome to the new year! Nova and Selphie's adventures continue on a familiar world... anyone we know here?
> 
> Side Note: the 1946 edition of Alice in Wonderland, published by Random House, is one of the first books I ever received. I still have my name written on the inside cover (in pencil and with awful spelling and squiggles because I couldn't write very well at however young I was at the time). Easter eggs for a few things in the movie and a few things in the book may appear- you've been warned.
> 
> Second side note: I don't normally like to edit these things after they've been posted (and I do edit them down to the moment they get posted, I am embarrassed to admit), but there was a section in the middle that just did not belong and was bothering the hell out of me. It's been removed, probably to be re-purposed somewhere else... eventually. Most of you wouldn't have known the difference- this is my admission of guilt for those of you who would.


	7. Wonderland: Part II

It smelled of roses inside the hedge maze. And sounded like panic.

"Miss Nova? Come on, where are you?" Selphie shouted and turned around again and again, trying to retrace her steps. No that it helped: neatly trimmed bushes towered far above, closed off the sky, and muffled the air. It was impossible to see one path without going down another. She'd taken a left turn, and then a right... no, another left?

A wall of leaves and branches appeared and surrounded her on three sides. Dead end. She couldn't remember seeing any before, but she hadn't been looking, either. Too silly and excited: Zell would roll his eyes and tease her if he knew. Then they'd try to fight through the walls to get out, because that was Zell. He wouldn't let a stupid plant stop him. Or a hundred.

And when they finally rescued him from the Heartless, he'd tell her so again.

She poked at the barrier; sharp edges prodded back in a pointed manner. Selphie brushed her hands clean and dropped them onto her hips. "All right, hedge," she said, swallowing her fluster. "You're in my way."

A flicker of movement responded. Did it...?

Yes. The branches wiggled back at her. It could have been the wind. Or-

Selphie dodged out of the way; snapped her jump rope from its clip. A tiny part of her was certain she was overreacting.

The rest evaded just in time as a giant thorny whip smacked the ground where her feet had been.

"Hey!" She caught a glimpse of glowing yellow eyes and growled. "You... you Heartless- quit that!"

It pulled itself back out of sight in a blink. Selphie launched a wild swing at the vine and missed, a handful of innocent leaves slapped into the air instead.

She blew them away with a huff and peered into the hedge, weapon drawn and twisted tight around her hands. Prickly branches wove criss-crossed lashes around each other into a dense mat. It was hard to see anything beyond the thick layers except a deeper dark, even when she squinted to block out the bright garden sun. Selphie had to push in further than she liked to make out edges to the shadows. Moving around had to be difficult in there. She stepped out and dusted herself off, frowning. The Heartless couldn't have gotten very far.

Something rustled behind her. Selphie yelped and threw herself to the side without a second glance. Another vine ripped jagged holes into the turf and whiplashed upwards. Vicious gaps shredded through the wall. She tucked and rolled away; caught a better look at it in one dizzy turn. The creature was a tall, egg-shaped plant with fuzzy green toes and a too-cheerful sunflower head growing out of the top. A weird, mostly heart-shaped black symbol outlined in red splashed across its front. It didn't look like any Heartless she knew.

Except for the eyes. Those were the same.

A blank yellow stare tracked with unfair accuracy: more dark green vines burst out of its sides and lashed after her when she stood too long gawking. Selphie yelled and dodged again, this time with an accidental slide close enough to touch the creature. Her whip cracked out-

-and flicked at it with a light _ker-thwack!_ The hard, brown shell belled like a hollow wooden bowl, not hurt at all.

But it did make the thing turn around.

"Uh, oh."

Selphie scrambled to her feet and ran without waiting for whatever happened next. This wasn't like any play fight she'd ever had with the other kids on the islands. Sora would have shouted and chased after her with a wooden sword all afternoon without stopping, grinning for the fun of it all. Riku would have let his smug attitude smile for him and wait for her to make a mistake. Kairi and Wakka and Tidus would have yelled encouraging things while they dodged and fought back. None of her friends had ever made her feel the new, strange, hard knot that twisted up her stomach and set her feet flying.

This was scary. The Heartless was _scary_. Selphie yelped and ducked under another prickly vine, legs slipping through turns and picking up speed as fast as she could make them move. "Miss Nova!" she shrieked into the painted blue sky. "Miss Nova, help!"

"Help!"

**__________________________________________________________________________**

The world fit inside a box. Somehow.

Nova dashed back and forth through hedges, retracing her steps over and over in dizzy circles. The sky had corners, squared off over the top of the maze as one large room, but she never seemed to get any closer to the edge, no matter how far she ran. It was endless without any reference to ground her senses: a winding, twisting, neatly organized snarl of confusion.

"Selphie! Where are you?"

Silence met her shouting at every turn. The plants grew in tall, forbidding rectangles filled with deep nests of leaves and thorny branches. She couldn't see over them or through them, and took corners at a guess. The entrance was lost somewhere behind. Forward was...

Singing?

A wide open garden appeared all at once, so fast Nova's heels dug thick furrows into trimmed grass. She hopped the edges and stumbled to a stop, right underneath the delicate green arch at the entrance. A sharp breath in exploded with roses: thousands of fragrant flowers bloomed on heart-shaped bushes, lovely red petals setting the garden alight. They made a striking contrast to the shorter, flatter bushes surrounding them, and flashed even more crimson against the dark, ominous hedge backdrop she'd just emerged from. It was a near perfect picture of care and attention to detail.

Near perfect. Some of the roses were white and obviously not meant to be. Three person-sized playing cards jumped around the offending bushes, cans in hand, brushes lobbing fistfuls of red paint in all directions.

Nova stood still and absorbed the scene. The cards sang as they worked, and hadn't seemed to notice her at all:

_ "Painting the roses red, we're painting the roses red. We dare not stop or waste a drop, so let the paint be spread-"_

"Ah, excuse me." She stepped over and waved at the card closest to her.

"Yeeeeeeow! The Queen!" The card, a Three of Clubs, jerked with shock, then screamed and flailed. Its paint can flew up and landed with an elegant splash on top of another card's head: the Two of Clubs let out a wretched shriek of its own and began running back and forth in a blind panic, red paint dribbling down the front of its suit. "The Queen!"

"The Queen?" An Ace of Clubs turned off of a short ladder to conduct its own panic, saw her, and dropped its hands. "That's not the Queen."

"It's not?"

"I'm not," confirmed Nova.

"Oh." It dropped to the ground, ignoring the others. "Did you want something, Alice?"

"Alice. Ah!" Now the Three stopped screaming. It screeched to a halt and elbowed the Two hard enough to shuffle it sideways, whispering loudly: "It's not the Queen. It's an Alice."

"No. I'm not a Queen or an Alice. I'm not sure what-" Nova shook her head "-nevermind. Have any of you seen a girl with a pink backpack come through here?"

"A girl? Can't say as we have." The Ace scratched its cheek with the tip of its paintbrush: wet paint lathered a target around. "Not many of those here."

"Just an Alice," said the Three.

"But she's escaped," the Two reminded them. Its voice rang hollow inside the paint can. "And the Queen will have her head."

"Our heads, if we don't find her," said the Ace.

"Our heads," agreed the others, clutching their throats.

"Sure you're not an Alice?" the Three asked her, hopefully.

Nova frowned. "Yes. I'm sure," she said. A weird feeling settled into her stomach: heavy, cold, and not easy to move. The Cheshire Cat had called Selphie an 'Alice', too. She hesitated, then asked: "Your Queen, does she _actually_ take heads off, or-"

Vigorous nodding interrupted her. The Ace continued: "We planted white roses by mistake, you see. The Queen, she likes them red. We could lose our heads if she sees these." It pulled a flower as far as them stem would allow and shook it in her face. The flower was a lovely clear white with a soft pink center, quickly mucked over with a vivid splash of the brush.

More paint flew in an entirely wrong direction while the Two muttered with an ominous, metallic tang: "It's something that we dread."

"So, we're painting the roses red. Simple," said the Three, in a sing-song. The cards all spun on their heels and flipped back to their work, humming again. Only the Two bothered to see if they'd finished the conversation, having mis-judged its twirl. It lifted the can long enough to peek out from underneath, made a noise, and repositioned itself immediately. More red paint splashed everywhere all at once and exactly where it wasn't supposed to be, small amounts accidentally flying straight into white petals.

Nova dodged out of the way and felt her heels slide. She looked down and tensed. Wavered to a halt.

The floor she'd escaped to was pond-shaped and blue, with blotches resembling green lily pads suspended across its surface. It felt like solid glass with every creak and crinkle as her weight shifted, but looked flat with the matte appearance of heavy colored paper.

Another thick glob of paint sailed out: glass swallowed it with a splash.

One foot took a solid hit from the spray and sank her leg to the knee. Nova hopped back to the lawn and shook the damp chill off. "That's not water," she said. The surprise was strong enough to knock around her head three times before it lost an element and drowned. Its echo had an curious aftertaste: like having bitten into something unexpected, but not terrible.

Singing paused, but the humming continued. "It is water," the Three shrugged.

"Until it isn't," said the Ace.

"We try not to think about it," the Two claimed in a loud, ringing whisper as it tossed an equally damp bucket towards her open arms.

"Oh. Um." Most of the paint had slopped off of the side rather than stay in the can. Nova grabbed it without thinking; made a face at her hands. She tried to wipe them on her pants and remembered at the very last second why it would matter. The grass earned another stain.

An uneasy feeling stirred. Itched. Something to do with the paint, but she couldn't make it out over growing noise. The cards had begun to harmonize with themselves somehow, and raised their voices to match a keening hum.

White flowers dripped above her, thick puddles of drying red pasting strands of grass together in a matted sprawl. Nova looked at the roses.

Then at the cards.

_Oh._

Somehow around the increasing cacophony, she imagined the red paint making a thin line across a neck. And shuddered.

"Can I-" she stopped, felt another round of surprise and shook it off like a bad itch, restless. One of her paint covered hands reached up and gently began to rub out the white of a nearby rose.

It lasted only a moment. Then the singing and the yelling finally separated themselves into two distinct sounds and everything got mixed up into startling confusion as a girl with a pink backpack roared her name into the clearing while a gigantic plant-Heartless tumbled in after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can probably see where this is going. 
> 
> Side Note: After watching the Blu Ray edition of this movie more times than I care to count, I can say, in defense of excessive detail, that the Two of Clubs was the original victim of the paint can to the head. The card swapped to an Ace in the next shot (while carrying the ladder) and stayed an Ace until it got dragged away. The Two suddenly developed a paint can to the foot problem instead  
I have no idea how this mistake managed to get through the gazillions of distributed editions of this movie without being corrected. But, I have to admit, it was weirdly entertaining to discover.


	8. Wonderland: Part III

Cards, paint, petals, and people flew in every direction at once, churned up and spat askew by a flailing tangle of Heartless. The monster ricocheted off of the hedge behind Nova and bounced across the pond: glassy, cracking, noisy ripples spread out from each painful _thump!_

She flipped up from a flat landing inside the mess of roses. Some of the bushes would never recover; the rest were in a sorry enough state their Queen would hardly care about the color. Nova felt the stoic, dispassionate part of her mind catalogue the sheer amount of wreckage, even as she raked eyes over the mess. "Selphie!" she roared.

"Here!" The girl stood up from her crouch and waved. Then she ducked low again; Nova could see her hands pounding at the trunk of a larger hedge. Her jump rope wrapped around it in a snarl.

Nova reached her in time to help with the last, frantic tug. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "You shouldn't have run off like that."

"I got lost, sorry." Selphie huffed in protest, her cheeks pink. Twigs and leaves stuck out of her hair and clothes in every direction. "And I found a Heartless. I'm sure that's a Heartless."

"Yes, that's a Heartless." Nova flinched; nodded.

"Why do they always look so different? I mean, I figured it out. And I tripped it- that counts." She shook her loosed weapon in emphasis and frustration. "It's way too hard to break."

More thumping shook the grass up and down; they stumbled for balance, caught in roiling waves. The Heartless had rolled over in the pond. Now it curled the vines on either side of its rounded shell into heavy fists and slammed them down at the slick surface, over and over. It edged closer a little more at a time, blank yellow eyes wide and staring above an open, jagged mouth.

The monster could move faster if it wanted. Nova seized the preoccupied half of her attention and redirected it to the Heartless. Its lower half had drifted down: even as its thorns clawed at the grass in front of it and scraped glass where it touched the pond, the body wallowed in the water, determined not to sink.

She looked at her hands again, still covered in peeling red paint. Along with the rest of her, she noted: it had been impossible to avoid falling into the stuff. Her dark blue pants and the lower half of her legs were enthusiastically covered, while streaks had landed on her arms, shirt, jacket, her face...

The Heartless had fared no better. Red paint smeared all over the shell that she could see, partially covering the strange heart-symbol and flecking down most of the straining arm vines. Only the head portion had escaped completely unscathed. It seemed to realize that at the same time she did: fire popped out of its open mouth and flew towards them.

Selphie shouted something; Nova pushed her to the side and missed all of it as she dodged the other way. The fireball exploded as it landed, gouts of dirt and grass and ribbons of flame spurting in every direction.

Two more launched right after: another rosebush crackled into a bonfire, while the other tore great gaping holes in the turf before it sailed out of sight behind them. A booming hiss followed an instant later, more leaves and twigs blown up to speckle them with prickly rain.

"-iss Nova, what do we _do_?" Selphie wailed at her. The girl had managed to wedge herself into a gap between one of the shorter hedges and the outer wall, as small a target as possible. Small indeed: Nova felt something in her muffled heart impact, felt it drown and vanish with a grey sense of sadness rippling backwards into the rest.

**_Protect_**, whispered the waves.

Nova stood rooted, frozen with the shock, the rightness, the echoing certainty that a solid _something_ still lurked where she couldn't feel. It wanted her to run, to fight, to... to...

A spark of static released her feet. They broke from the ground and ran.

Towards the Heartless.

More fireballs split from the dark creature with a scalding cough: three this time. Nova vaulted over the first and slid under the second, close enough to feel heat burn across her ear. The third flew wild and tore an extra gaping hole in the larger hedge, more roses spilling in its wake.

She hardly noticed. The world had narrowed to a fine point, and she was at the tip, hurtling faster than she remembered towards the giant sunflower head. It stopped casting between spells: how long?

A leap; she landed on the shore. Muscles bunched and lifted with a twinge of effort.

..._I should train again_. A part of a thought filed itself away for later.

The rest concentrated as she sailed over the top of the Heartless. Twisted midair. Now she stared directly into the dead eyes as it turned its face upwards. Towards the sky.

Fire glowed from the pit of its mouth.

Nova rammed her foot down as hard as she could. The flower bent inward, bowed towards the center. Gouts of black smoke steamed out as it snapped its sharp mouth around flames. Shock rang like a bell and rippled outward; sent her flying back.

Air spun circles for a moment. Green with splashes of red interleaved between a painted blue that rose to meet her, flat and unyielding. She arced close enough to the ceiling to see the strokes where the color had been laid in each fluffy white cloud. The maze showed clear beneath her: if the moment would stretch a little farther, she could map the entire thing out.

A sharp tug seized her ankle. Ricochet snapped her head backwards. Stars spangled across her vision; Nova tasted salt and copper. She fought an urgent sense of muffled thunder and forced her eyes down, after her body.

The Heartless was sinking. Its face waved wildly right above the surface of the water, a thick line of force split right through the middle. Thinner black cracks splintered out towards the edges. More thorny vines scrabbled for purchase, great fistfuls of dirt and grass torn and shredded as it failed. One desperate strand had latched onto her, as if wanted to use her somehow to pull itself up-

-or drag her down along with it.

Nova felt a gasp squeeze her flat. She tried to bend around the terrible force, to reach her leg.

The glassy, not-quite-pond filled her vision. She raised her arms; tensed.

Cold water drove out all light with a splash.

**__________________________________________________________________________**

_She_ had brought the Heartless.

_She_ had.

Selphie felt horror and dread and something so much worse as she screamed and raced to the pond. It was still again- looked like it had never been water -but she knew better. She _knew _better.

That thing had gone through it and taken her friend away.

She had to go after them.

Her feet crinkled on the surface; slid. The pond looked for all the world like a cutout piece of paper with flat lily pads and reeds pasted on top to pretend it was real. It didn't feel real. It felt like glass: rough and smooth at the same time, slick where the blue water skimmed across the top, bumpy and textured where plants appeared, with no sign of anything underneath.

It wasn't real.

It _was_ real.

It wasn't even _wet_.

"No!" Selphie dropped to her knees and clawed at the ground. Her knees slithered away; she dug in even more. "Miss Nova! You give her back, you- you _Heartless_. Give her back!"

She kept trying and trying and trying. After a while of scratching without results, she started slapping the surface with her hands, her fists, her jump rope. Something in the back of her head told her she wasn't thinking, _again_, that it wouldn't work, but she didn't care. 

Something had to give. It had to let her in.

It _had_ to.

Feelings squeezed at her throat. If Nova wasn't there-

They were all gone.

And she was...

Alone.

"No! No, come back, come back, come back! Don't leave!" Selphie howled and lashed at the stupid thing she couldn't even see any more. It was so _stupid_. So stupid. She couldn't get through, she _knew_ that, why did she keep trying?

Her arms gave out before Selphie wanted them to. The jump rope puddled into a heap on the glass and she followed it into a slump, sitting back onto her heels and glaring white hot at the useless, stubborn not-water swimming around her gaze.

"Why aren't you water?" she finally demanded, hoarse from shouting.

"It _is_ water." A voice made her jump. Selphie twitched and caught herself; turned in time to see a thin, flat piece of paper- a playing card as big as a person -push itself off the ground to look at her.

Another card popped into view at the noise. "Until it isn't," it continued, hollow voice ringing out from underneath a steel can covered in red... paint?

Selphie scrubbed away tears until her face burned. Her hands tingled and ached. It felt impossible to think but neither card-person seemed to mind. They didn't move towards her at all except to flutter upright and look themselves over for... papercuts? Creases? She shook her head and asked them, finally: "Okay, so why isn't it water?"

A third card sprang up: an Ace of Clubs by its suit. They were all the same type of card, she noticed, just different numbers. It waggled a stained paintbrush at her. "It opens when it likes," it said.

"And doesn't when it doesn't," finished the Two with a mournful metal sound.

"Opens? Does it go somewhere? Where does it go?" Selphie was tired of slipping: she scooted herself forward on the glass and pulled herself off of the pond and onto the grass, avoiding the churned up mud left by the Heartless as much as she could. The ground was smothered with scattered leaves and roses and cans and muck: the three cards juggled around and moaned at the mess. They made so much noise... Selphie finally reached one and tugged on a corner. "How do I make it open?"

"When it wants to go." The Ace seemed confused.

"So where does it _go_ when its open?"

The cards stared at her for a moment. Then, the Three whispered, loud enough everyone could hear it: "That's an Alice."

Suddenly, she was at the center of a small crowd. Selphie tried to turn and keep them all in front of her, but they wouldn't cooperate. And they kept whispering on and on:

"_That_ Alice."

"_The_ Alice?"

"How many would there be?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure what it takes to get one."

"Seems a lot of trouble."

"They like croquet."

"And tea."

"Is that actually an Alice? Kinda small."

"_And_ tea. Wait, tea?"

"S'what the Mad Hatter says."

"Never paid attention before. Could be big."

"Don't believe him. He's mad."

"Aren't we all-"

"I'm _not_," said Selphie, temper flaring. She stamped her foot on the grass. "I'm not mad or Alice. Why does everyone keep saying that? The Cheshire Cat thought I was Alice, too, but I'm not. I don't know an Alice. My name's Selphie."

The cards looked at each other.

"Oh," said the Two.

"_Oh_," repeated the Ace, for emphasis. It rapped its fellow on the side of the bucket with a _clang!_

"Just so," said the Three, nodding to the rest. Then, it said, to Selphie: "The Queen would know. Would you like to go?"

"Know... where the pond goes?" The cards were worse than the Cat: she'd lost track of the point in the mess of words, but now her hope lifted.

"Oh, certainly. If anyone would know, it would be the Queen."

Selphie twisted a curled hair end straight. She didn't want to leave the pond at all: not with her friend trapped fighting a Heartless somewhere inside.

But if she couldn't get it open now... maybe she could find a different way.

"All right," she said, and looked down at her shoes as the cards cheered and patted her shoulders. Nervous energy itched; Selphie pulled the jump rope tight between her hands and stretched it out and in. She'd never met a Queen before. 

A coughing, hiccup of noise popped out of her. It wasn't a laugh- not quite -but whatever it was vanished quickly underneath the marching, singing cards forming up ranks to lead her away. Her teacher was somewhere fighting a Heartless. Selphie would find her and help as soon as she could: that was the important thing.

She'd save her friend. And then they would save everyone else.

Simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all very simple.
> 
> Side Note: Yes, I really did just now figure out how to copy my manuscript directly into the Rich Text editor- and how to get it to bring all my tabs in with it. Guess I'll be fixing some formatting over the next couple of days! *sigh*
> 
> 2nd Side Note: Nevermind, apparently it's an easy enough fix. Derp, derp, derp...


	9. Wonderland: Part IV

They exploded from the pond and landed in the sea. Nova gulped air and lost it all screaming as she followed the Heartless into the water. It was bright and cold and dark all at once: she had one confused glimpse of churning bubbles and a rainbow colored sea floor. Then the vine on her leg whipped her up like a snared fish and threw her at the beach in a blast of dust and rain.

The rest of the arm tendrils staked themselves in a cacophony of thunder all around her. Shallow sand pushed into deeper mounds as the creature pulled forward using every scrap of leverage it could. It gave her foot a painful twist and buried it deep; luck uncovered the rest of her with a sudden gasp.

Shells tumbled out in a wave as she emerged. Nova backhanded a patch trying to claw blindly for the vise pinioning her ankle; even more scattered at her confusion. Tiny pink creatures made cheeping noises and skittered away on plump feet. A sky visibly divided into day and night cast shadows in a blur as they flickered back and forth underneath

She blinked after the oysters in a sandy haze. Glowing eyes suddenly appeared out of nowhere, veiled in darkness deeper than anything.

"Run!" Nova gave a hoarse cry and tried to kick herself free. "Run!"

It was a wasted effort. The tiny things slid into another depression they couldn't avoid or escape: a heaping serving of seafood.

The Heartless reared back behind them. And then, suddenly, an enormous shape dashed in front of the pointed sunflower grin. "The time has come!" a portly walrus announced. It scooped the oysters up into a silver platter and scurried away in a waddling run, sand flying behind.

A second figure, a man in an apron with a large nose and a square white hat, raced after. He waved a hammer and sang: "Caloo, calay, we'll run away. Cabbages and kings!"

Nova pushed herself up and staggered forward. Nothing made sense. She wouldn't mind it if the world didn't, but couldn't quite figure out why the walrus bothered walking with the ocean nearby.

_Ah, no. Focus._ Dazed, Nova shook her head and pointed herself back at the Heartless. _Focus_.

The creature seemed as surprised as she felt. It turned and ambled after the fleeing pair, moving too slow to catch any of them.

And it had forgotten her, too.

She took two steps and jumped. Another kick landed, harder this time. The Heartless snapped sideways at the neck; momentum sent the entire thing back into the water.

Nova hit the ground hard and rolled to a crouch. Then she grimaced.

A vine still had a hold on her ankle.

_Ah, no_.

Her foot vanished out from underneath her. Nova shrieked and flew. The sun and moon giggled and wiggled in the sky above her, knowing grins carried from one side to the other.

Then cold water filled her up again.

**__________________________________________________________________________**

"What's this?"

A girl perched on a witness stand inside a boxed-in room, surrounded by soldiers. More cards had appeared and shuffled together when her three had arrived; now the rest of the pack stepped back from the hand dealt behind her. Only the Three of Clubs had been unlucky enough to stand close enough for responsibility: it quivered under the glare of their imperious ruler.

"That isn't the Alice I sent you to find." A Queen of sorts with a tiny crown balanced on top of her head leaned over the judge's bench and peered at all of them. "Who is this?"

"Told you." Selphie nudged the Three.

It waved its paintbrush at her, looked sick when it realized what it held, and dropped it behind its back. Then, with as much dignity as it could muster, it said: "Ah, if it please your Majesty, this is the only Alice we found."

"My name isn't Alice-"

"SILENCE!" The Queen roared at them indiscriminately. She drove the small heart on her scepter into the wooden planks of the judgment seat. "The accused will stand trial."

Selphie blinked. "For what?"

"For the crime of trespassing, assault, and attempted theft of my heart-"

"Why would I steal your heart?" The girl interrupted, blushing to the curled tips of her hair. "I don't even know you."

"The worst crime of all," gasped a small White Rabbit nearby. It startled and cowered away from attention, pretending not to be heard.

"Hold your tongue," suggested one of the cards under its breath.

"I've never stolen a heart." Selphie heard the exchange, but continued without pause. "Heartless steal hearts. I- I wouldn't. I mean, it's not the same thing, but I don't think I've ever even had anyone fall in love with me before. That's the only way I'd ever- I dunno, capture a heart? Captivate?" She sighed. "Maybe some day..."

"So. You admit to it." The Queen nodded with satisfaction.

"What? No!" Selphie shook off her dreams and thumped her fists on the witness stand. "I haven't stolen anything. I'm just looking for my friend."

"_Your_ friend? All friends are _my_ friends."

"That's- that's not... she is?" While the Queen continued to fume and didn't elaborate, Selphie shrugged and went on. "Miss Nova fell into the pond. In the... hedges...the big maze... the..." she looked at the Three for help.

"The rose garden," it supplied in a whisper.

"My rose garden?" The Queen was turning a too-healthy shade of red. "You admit to trespassing in _my_ garden?"

"Well, we didn't know it was _yours_." Selphie could feel her defense slipping quickly; she planted her feet and said, in a firm voice: "When we got here, the Cheshire Cat showed us the maze. I got lost, because... and then a Heartless attacked me. We wouldn't have been in your garden at all if it weren't for that."

A black glare threw contempt out in a wave. "Ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it."

"But we haven't broken _anything_. That Heartless did it all."

"A likely story." 

"But- it broke a lot of things. The hedges, some rosebushes..." her voice trailed off; Selphie realized that the Three was shushing her as hard and as surreptitiously as it could in as loud a manner as possible. She ignored it. "The Heartless fell into the water with my friend. Please, can you tell me where the pond goes?"

The Queen snorted. "Go? You're not going anywhere. She shoved her crown further back onto her head and glared at Selphie. "I'm warning you child: speak truthfully or lose your head."

"I _am_ telling you the truth." Her tongue darted out, then splurged flat before she blurted: "Hey, what'd you call me? I'm not a kid."

Cards rippled as they crinkled corners in concern. The Queen's eyes narrowed. She had an unpleasant smile. "We'll see about that," the threat turned into a roar: "Call the first witness!"

"Call the first witness!" The White Rabbit pulled a trumpet out of its red jacket and blew into it, gasping and hopping from one foot to another. It dashed up the small plinth it had been hiding behind and yelled towards the back: "Call the first witness!"

A ripple of motion shivered across the cards in a wave. A Seven of Hearts and a Six of Diamonds hop-marched in from a small hole in the wall, a dark figure with a helmet caught between them.

Selphie caught a glimpse of yellow eyes and backpedaled as they passed. Cards returned her to her position with a shove. "What is _that_ doing here?" she cried.

"The Heartless!" announced the White Rabbit. It blew an unsuccessful wail on its horn.

"Bothered are we?" The Queen waggled her scepter at the room and paced back to her seat. "Now we'll see who's to blame. You!" She snapped an imperious finger at the shadow. "Where were you when the Alice tried to steal my heart? Tell the truth!"

"I'm _not_ Alice!"

"SILENCE!" the Queen thundered. Her roar flattened cards in a wave and knocked everyone else off their feet into a tangle of spears and paper cuts.

The Heartless tipped end-over-end and sprawled onto the grass. Before anyone could bother, it twitched itself up, black heart symbol outlined in vivid red across its chest. It sprang on the nearest card: the Six screamed and tried to fling it off.

Selphie crawled upright in time to see fierce resistance give way to terror, lost with a swipe of red-tipped claws. A heart-shaped glow popped out and shot upwards, bright and beautiful, even as the rest of the card disintegrated into darkness around it.

Then, a small void appeared out of nowhere, a swirling miasma that made Selphie sick to look at. It reminded her of the storm that had taken her home, shrunk to a tiny, malevolent wisp. The heart trailed sparks of light as it hovered towards the orb, spun a few times and-

-vanished.

Selphie gaped at the empty space where the card had been. Her stomach twisted.

The dark orb flickered; faded. Before she had time to think- to scream -another Heartless appeared. It materialized right where the void had been: the same kind of soldier Heartless dropped to the ground with a rattle of armor and took off at a gangly run.

Towards the rest of the deck.

"N- no! Hit it!" Selphie found herself outside the witness box with no one to put her back in. Soldiers flipped and tossed themselves all around her, running, yelling, falling into a pile of confusion. She pulled out her jump rope and dashed after the Heartless. "Hit it!" she screamed. "Before it takes your heart!"

"Who's heart, you say?" The Queen threw a pointed finger at them all, too loud and too eager in the mess. "A-hah! I knew it was the Alice. There's no fooling me. Off with her head!"

Selphie blocked out the noise: she leaped forwards and whipped her weapon at the new Heartless in a flurry, each blow a resounding _crack!_

It didn't have a chance to flee. The shadow soldier shuddered, let go of a card it had been about to devour and collapsed to the ground head first. A trickle of darkness seeped out, flinched, and sighed as the rest gave way in a cloud. Darkness laced around the shape of brilliant red heart and lifted up. Vanished into nothing.

With nothing left behind.

_Wait... where was the card?_

Shock rooted her to the spot.

_Why wasn't the card back?_

She remembered, suddenly. Her home had felt so empty at the end: weapons and boxes and carts left where they'd been dropped, doors open and swinging in the wind. She'd run through the streets fighting Heartless at every step and wondered where her friends had gone.

Like an idiot.

Oh, she was stupid. So stupid. The Heartless had taken everyone away. Her teacher had said their hearts were gone. She'd thought that meant... she'd hoped-

She'd really had hoped they had.

Because if anyone had been left on the world when it cracked and fell to darkness- that had _hurt_, too much to bear. She would have turned the Gummi ship around and tried to save everybody if there'd been a chance they could.

But then it had been okay- not okay, but not hopeless. They could have figured it out: find enough Heartless, follow them, and they could have found where all the Heartless came from. And that would be where Zell and Kairi had been carried away. Where Tidus and Wakka, and Riku, and Sora and everyone else would be. They'd beat the Heartless and save their friends... rescue their hearts...

But now, she knew-

Their hearts.

All of their hearts were gone.

Stolen.

Swallowed.

The Heartless hadn't given them back.

_Would they?_

_Ever?_

The Three of Clubs she'd saved bent itself in half on the ground in terror, eyes squeezed shut as tight as they could go. Selphie prodded it in the side until it cried out and looked up.

"Enough force'll break one," Selphie told the card. Numb terror wanted her to stop; a steep rise of anger kept her moving. She scooped a spear up from the ground and handed it over. "Miss Nova showed me." Another wave of fear splashed up to mix with the dread she already felt; Selphie hitched her jump rope to her shoulder and swallowed it down. Her friend could make a crater with a frying pan and was deadly with a harpoon... that plant Heartless had been big, but...

The Three of Clubs was scrambling away. She yelled after it: "You gotta hit 'em as hard as you can. You have to, or they'll take your heart!"

_And they won't give it back._ The other card soldier, the Six, was gone for good. It hadn't reappeared when the Heartless died. Selphie wanted to cry.

She whipped her weapon down and out instead, and looked behind her.

More shadows appeared like magic. A swarm of Heartless peeled out of the darkest corners of the room and started to slink their way over. As if they had been waiting for the right cue to enter the stage.

The Queen roared right back at them, furious. "Off with her head! Off with their heads! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"

"You heard what the Queen said, it's off with her head!" The Rabbit waved indignant agreement, then gasped and hid again.

Recovered cards fanned out in a wave, flip-flopping with a crisp _snap!_ Spears dropped into position. Axes pointed high.

Straight at her.

Selphie whirled around. All of a sudden, she was in the middle of the mess: right between a flood of crawling Heartless and the stacked deck of soldiers. "Um," she said. "Please, don't?"

"OOOOFF WITH HER HEAD!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't tell Nova what happened to the oysters. 
> 
> Side Note: This would technically be the last update of the month, if the world hadn't taken longer than I expected it to. 
> 
> At the same time, while I would like to continue until Wonderland finishes out, that would only give me a week or two (at most) to work on the next section before I'm scheduled to post again- and that's _definitely_ not enough time.
> 
> So, the plan right now is to post another chapter next week, take the rest of February off, then finish out Wonderland in March. 
> 
> Will the next world start up right after? ...eeeeh...maybe. We'll find out together. I'm a bit of a 'gardener' style writer: I know the main story beats and where it'll end up, but the middle is delightfully muddy (as I try to convince myself).
> 
> Anyhoo, I hope you all are enjoying the work! Please feel free to let me know what you think: I'm writing this for fun and practice, so comments and critiques are very welcome. Thanks for reading!


	10. Wonderland: Part V

They fell from the sea into a well, faster and faster. Dirt walls changed to wood paneling as water ran away in a mist. Windows and bookshelves flashed by; one long, strangely twisted fireplace dominated the curving surface for an instant, fire burning merrily behind a grate. Teacups and saucers ricocheted around in a blur, soon followed by airborne clocks, tables, and a dainty selection of silverware, all drifting upwards and backwards in defiance of gravity.

Nova tried to roll away from the sudden deluge of kitchen ware. The vine on her ankle kept the large, difficult Heartless glowering at the other end of a tether. They'd exchanged a few more blows during the fall as the creature caught wind and slowed . She'd used it to dive and smash her foot into the body. Each time it had shuddered and fallen away again, without significant effect: no matter how hard she tried, nothing seemed strong enough to crack the heavy shell. Attacks left her enough room to roll away before the Heartless reacted with half-hearted thorn strikes from its free tendrils. It hadn't scored any decisive blows and neither had she. They were evenly matched.

At least until they hit the bottom.

A rocking chair cascaded up. Nova tried to push clear until a hard tug on her ankle twisted her right into the seat. She landed with a jolt and slid out the front, then drifted weightless again as the Heartless collided with two dressers and a banquet table below her. She brought up her arms and cried out as shattered wood splintered up in a cyclone.

The creature flailed at the wreckage, forgetting her as tendrils shuddered into a whirling frenzy. Nova bent double over the vine and dug in. Her stomach flipped end over end as the Heartless rocked her around and smashed her casually against the wall once; twice.

Numb fingers slipped. Out of breath and half-stunned, Nova snapped straight out into the wall again: the corner of a shelf jabbed a hefty dent between her ribs, even as instinct set her flailing for handholds. A black cloud shot with stars hazed her vision.

"Lose something?"

Nova caught her breath in great gulping bursts. She checked for handholds and found her knuckles already latched onto the edge of the shelf, trembling white with strain. And above-

"This is a pickle." The Cheshire Cat lazed in front of her nose. Sharp white teeth gleamed in an ever-present grin. "You've been exceptionally brined," it said.

"Not now, cat." Nova kicked at the vine without success. A heavy tug raked her chin across wood; she bit her tongue and hissed.

Eyes gleamed at her, wide as teacups. "Why not now? Surely you have nothing better to do."

"I-" the Heartless rolled over underneath her. A mass of thorns lashed out. The creature latched onto the walls and started clawing upwards, using her as a lever. "I can't- get it- off-" Nova realized the truth she admitted to. Her nails dug splinters out of the shelf, small pains barely registered as her arms began to shake.

"No. I don't suppose you can." The Cat considered, tail flicking back and forth. "You've lost the key. And a lock without a key keeps the door shut tight. My, what a sight."

"Then again..." it stretched and rolled closer. "I suppose... something can always slip underneath," it said. One claw extended.

Nova gasped; slid. "Please," she begged. Something from the other side of her heart jumped forward, eager. A feeling that tasted like fright and... **_yes... _**dried her throat to ash.

The rest of her shied away. Or tried to: she had nowhere to go. A sharp, black point hovered between her eyes.

Light sped across, carried by a rumbling purr. A bright flash became a jagged shock.

She staggered. Transfixed.

Tumbled into the dark.

**__________________________________________________________________________**

True night gave way to twilight. Deep black sky crowded close around a faded, stagnant grey. Nova woke flat on her stomach, head puddled in the crook of her arms, one cheek pressed hard to cold, glimmering glass. It warmed and froze her in turns: a welcome and a rejection.

**_:want:_**

She pushed away from it, bent and staggering from the weight pressing down- no, the force _pulled _at her, strong and frustrated and only muted a tiny, tiny bit as she finally wobbled upright. Her knees ached, palms tingling into her hands where they still touched the glass. She expanded and contracted with every breath, sick and glowing and covered in fog.

This was darkness.

No._ Light._

It was all of that and more. Nova sat on her heels in a hazy sea and stared at the swirling puffs of contrast eddying around her in lazy whorls. The pulse of her heart rattled loud in her ears, propelled by a longing she could not name. Drifting, luminous echoes and a strange, strangled radiance lit the empty space from below with a feeble glow, caught fast between tattered, clinging webs of shadow. The sum total painted grey across the round platform, spilling over the edges in soft waves.

Nova shivered; stood.

Quiet followed her movements with keen interest. It gripped the heavy air, anticipation long neglected pressing closer in a hush. Busy mist began to slow: a picture on the stained glass traced clear outlines through the fog. Echoes of profound sadness ached through her feet. She peered down and wondered at them.

**_:need:_**

Trailing sparks caught her eye. Nova turned to follow, chafing arms suddenly gripped by cold. A ball of light drifted down from darkness above, blazing like a star. Sudden desire caught; held. The air in the room stilled, expelled at once in a swift and silent gasp. Nova felt an icy sting pull her back to the center of the platform and stumbled towards it. Trembling raced up and caught her feet as she went, slowing her progress to a sideways jumble. She staggered; recovered; over and over again. Something struck the underside of the glass and shook the platform. Ragged, uneven clangs drove hard into a soundless bell. Disturbed clouds rippled and fell away from the blows. Tiny hints of color seeped into ever-present grey.

She hardly noticed. The light had stopped above the platform and hovered nearby, close enough to touch. Fascinated, Nova reached for it-

-and missed.

It spun away and exploded into her. Freezing cold ripped her body apart and pounded jagged shards straight into her heart, pinning it open by a hair, a crack. Something sharp as a knife and thin as paper slipped through. It arrowed inside the close-woven barrier and _reached_-

Glass crinkled relief.

**_Yes_**.

Like met like somewhere in the center of her body. Sudden, familiar warmth flared out from her hands. Vivid pictures fountained up; drizzled down:

_:A woman with dark hair held her finger to her lips and smiled around it:_

_ :Two blazing figures cracked white stone and shattered the sky:_

_ :An old wizard bowed his head and withdrew his key:_

_ :Warm brown eyes held secrets over a crooked grin:_

Memories constricted. Nova collapsed around them, then snapped backwards, thrown violently away. Glass tumbled out of sight, replaced by walls, windows, thorns and...

Ice.

**__________________________________________________________________________**

Magic spattered out in all directions, crystals cutting frozen tracks in a burst, burning cold, burning _her_. Noise returned blaring and awful with the dying screams of destroyed furniture. The shelf buckled under the impact as Nova's body flew the opposite direction. Her head cracked like lightning. She swam into a sea of stars and watched them fall.

Fall.

Falling again.

She was falling again.

_Oh._

Nova opened her eyes in time to match stares with the Heartless. Its maized sunflower face gaped towards her, dull and- _hungry_ -and she knew suddenly, without any doubt, that it had finally noticed her heart.

**_Dragged along like an afterthought. How embarrassing._** Words buzzed in her head like bees, dripping with irony. **_Are you going to destroy it or not?_**

The Heartless opened its mouth. Burning embers lit; swelled.

Tiny threads of pain sliced across her lungs as they inhaled. Nova pointed her hands down and yelled a hoarse command: "FREEZE!"

A great, booming blast erupted into the well: filled it to the brim. Ice met a ready fireball with a shattering hiss. The Heartless took the impact right in the center of its hard shell and rocked backwards.

She couldn't follow it down. The explosion sent her flying away: up, and up, and up. Bits of flotsam, shreds of wood, and shining shards of ice whirlpooled around her. Nova shielded her face with her arms, and cried out.

The tether between them yanked on her leg; snapped.

_Cheat_. It hadn't slowed her down at all.

Remains of shelves, silverware, and a memorable fireplace zipped by.

Then she plunged back into water. Deep enough to drown.

**__________________________________________________________________________**

The sun and the moon wobbled out of reach, two bemused faces staring after her.

Nova glimpsed another painted ceiling. Clouds squared over a room of sea and shore.

She gasped.

Cold water closed over her again.

**__________________________________________________________________________**

Solid ground kicked out all the breath she had left. Nova landed on her back with a _whumph!_ and felt the impact straight to her teeth. Time lost meaning. She stared up as an oddly shaped ceiling wavered in and out of straight lines.

So many bruises. She would have so many.

Her hands twinged away from the ice, frosted white at the tips. Nova huddled over them, half aware, pain locked secure between her teeth. They creaked forwards; backwards. Stiff and numb: just like her. If her old Master could see her now, using magic without a conduit-

**_Yes, of course. The absolute worst of the disappointments will be your magic handling._**

No help for healing: Selphie had the potions in her bag. And Nova had no idea where they'd started from.

**_Lost the child? Sloppy._**

Despite everything, part of her felt as if it was still falling: down... down... down... while the rest lingered where it had landed, light as a feather and twice as bemused. Perhaps she was still caught in the well.

**_Dull as a used knife. Need to train._**

Nova felt her eyes roll up and away. Not looking for anything, no; she simply didn't have the strength for sarcasm.

"That was quite fun. Better than a game of croquet, I'd say." The Cheshire Cat announced itself loudly, leering down at her from an odd perch on a glass lamp.

No, that wasn't right. Somehow, strangely, the lamp was mounted at a right angle to the floor. Its opening pointed directly towards her, flame inside following along with enthusiasm. The large, square room had spun around to match: she was on a wall, not the floor, and no taller than the books on a nearby shelf. A fireplace with a cooktop stove filled the ceiling; a full sized white table and a chair sprouted sideways from an unnerving height on the surface in front of her.

_Fine_. It was fine. Nothing in the world made sense in a way she expected.

And that was part of the routine. She didn't belong on the world. It shouldn't need to make sense to _her_. Meddling was strongly discouraged.

Except-

"How did - what did you do to me?" Nova probed at her heart and found a familiar grey. Her walls seemed solid, but... she shook her head, bewildered. "I can't cast magic."

"Yes, how _are_ you getting on?" The Cat twisted its head upside-down and peered into her. "Not _here_, nor _there_. Not _anywhere_. A Somebody isn't supposed to be a Nobody, you know, no matter how hard we pretend."

"I'm not sure what you mean." Nova struggled to roll to her hands and knees, still wavering and blurry. "How did we-" She glanced around her elbows and fell backwards with a yelp.

The painting underneath framed a familiar sea and shore. A sun and moon sang out from inside of it, frozen silent in the divided sky. Nova's pulse thumped in her ears; clothes squished reminders with uncomfortable damp. "W-where are we?"

"Where shadows are. And the key." The ever-present grin mellowed into a pleasant purr. "Ask where they could be, not where they've been."

Canvas bent under tentative hands. It didn't open; she wouldn't fall through. The Walrus and the Oysters were nowhere to be seen. The Heartless had vanished, too. _And Selphie_\- Nova frowned down. Her fingers ached slowly awake. "How do I get back?" she asked.

"The same way you get to front." The Cheshire Cat bowed to her and flipped into the air. It disappeared as it drifted to the ground, voice lingering only with: "You turn around."

"Wait-!" Nova made a noise and stopped herself from pitching forward onto her face. She sat back and pinched her nose instead. "Cat-" 

A latch clicked loud; two doors inside a large arch sagged open, into the floor.

Behind her, of course.

**_It wouldn't be a cat if it wasn't obtuse._**

Nova glanced carefully around the rotated room. No one else seemed to be visible, not Heartless, not the Cheshire Cat, but-"How do I get back?" she asked, loudly.

Silence.

A quiet snicker pattered circles around her head. Nova ignored the not-noise, somewhat disappointed that regular furniture didn't respond.

She picked herself up and eyed the opening. It promised to be a door, but...she'd had enough of falling.

_Quite enough_.

Still. It was a way out. And the Cat hadn't proved itself malicious. A Heartless had tracked them around, but they followed hearts like moths to flame: the stronger, the better.

Which meant the plant Heartless would wander until it found someone else to eat. Like the playing cards.

_Or Selphie._

Strange flutters pressed into the walls of her heart. She could search the room, but...

Nova tumbled into the portal.

**__________________________________________________________________________**

A curious sense of dislocation bent forwards until her palms scraped raw across stone. It took one moment of darkness, and another moment of scrabbling around in a tight space to realize that she had popped out inside the fireplace.

_How-?_

Another awkward turn later and her feet hit the back. She was on the ceiling, somehow, reversed from upside-down, the seaside picture hanging flat on the floor above her.

_Well_. The brick seemed solid enough. Nova stamped on it a few times to make sure, then boosted herself out-

-and collapsed on the side, stopped with surprise at the suddenly busy room. Images flickered up the wall, full one moment, empty the next. Someone was fighting a tall Heartless near the large white table... someone in red... someone she recognized...

Emotions drowned her in a sudden, overwhelming tide.

_”SORA!"/**"SORA!"**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait, what?
> 
> Side Note: Oof... this chapter. I can't remember how many rewrites its gone through. EXTENSIVE AMOUNTS OF REWRITES <- that's how many. 
> 
> Part of this scene originally happened in the next world, but then it worked better here. Glad I try to keep ahead of the updates.
> 
> And now that I'm getting caught up with myself, it's time for a break! See you all in March!


	11. Wonderland: Part VI

Vague figures coalesced into a frantic battle. Sparks peppered the air: a massive, spindly Heartless slapped down flashy blasts with fiery mallets, explosions worn away into silent, sinister images. Its paper-thin arms bounced and struck and rolled and struck again and again.

A large dog in green held a shield up beneath the blows, braced and straining with effort. A smaller duck in blue yelled soundlessly from behind it in an obvious attempt at spellcasting: ice crystals lanced out from its wand in a spectacle of glitter. 

Nova wiped frozen hands across her face. There was a familiar pattern emblazoned on the shield, and, following the strangers, a familiar form...

"Sora..."

She hardly dared to breath the name.

Her son was _alive_\- and demonstrated by leaping fearlessly from the table several times his size on top of the even taller Heartless. An unusual weapon flashed in his grip as he dealt a solid blow to the long-legged, twisty menace, landing with a twirl to launch back into the fray.

Sora was fighting Heartless with a key shaped blade, grinning with the joy of it all the while.

Her son was alive and fighting with a Keyblade.

_Oh. Oh, no._

**_No. _**

_Nonononononono..._

Her pinched heart squeezed tighter than a gasp.

Then Nova was next to the wall/floor: pounding on it, clawing at it, trying to squeeze up through the gaps and scraping by without purchase. She could be lying on the floor, staring across, except she was standing and screaming and losing everything again- _again_ -as her son faced monsters in front of her and always, always, _always_ out of reach. "Sora!"

Everything moved up, up, up: Nova grabbed for handholds, hardly surprised. The white chair appeared: she seized the leg and swung wild. Her mind stuttered at the jump; clipped shards out of the landing. Somehow, she found herself up on the arm. Somehow, she perched precariously on a pink cushion, both feet wedged in painful disarray as she reached for a familiar smile and-

Missed.

She missed. Sora stood nearby, close enough to touch. Her fingers snatched at his arm and skimmed across: passed through the image like glass.

He dashed forward, blue eyes fixed the other way; never once looking at her.

And vanished.

Nova held her cold, empty hands together. They ached with returning warmth, even as the rest of her chilled; frosted over. Glistening motes of light trailed out of reach: a bright rain, scattered into nothing.

The Heartless. The fighters.

Sora.

Everything washed away with a pale sheen until nothing remained.

Except a sideways room with incoherent furniture.

And her. _Why?_

**_Sora?_**

_Was it real?_

"Of course it is. Real, I mean. He's the key, you see." The Cheshire Cat was behind her again, grinning again, gleaming teeth pinned between each other in sharp rows. It slowly appeared out of nothing as it spoke and, unlike her, managed to stand in the correct direction as it leaned casually between two fat rabbit ears carved into the top of the white chair.

"Oh and, might I say, congratulations?" it hummed. "Found what you've lost? Well done." A large, fluffy tail unrolled while tapping staccato time, stripes ruffled into tidy rows. "Losing is so much easier than finding. If you’ve done it properly."

"**_Stop it, Cat_**." Nova spat at it, furious. "I haven't found anything. **_Where's my son?_**" She struggled upright; lunged forward. "The boy with the key. Where is he?"

"About to be gone, I'm afraid,” it sighed. “Just like poor Alice. Lost to shadows."

"Lost- no! No, not- he was here! He was-” Nova felt her desperate grip slide. The Heartless loomed, suddenly above her, mallets raised. Five faces stacked on top of each other dipped downwards, see-sawing on top of bone-thin legs. The chair concussed; collapsed. Gravity reset with a startling _thump!_

Nova flew off; somersaulted in the air and kicked off the floor/wall again, as high as she could jump. But there was nothing to latch on to: the table snapped out of existence with another flicker of Heartless. She sailed through empty air and dropped back onto the fireplace with a heavy _thud!_

Surprise kept her grounded. Anguish drove her fists into brick. “**_What’s going on?_**” Nova yelled at the room. Panic drove her voice up and up until she couldn't hear anything but a high-pitched scream.

The chair popped back into view: the table, a second later. All of the figments returned with the furniture, blinking back and forth, in and out, blithely unaware of anything but the fracas in front of them.

"If you've found something unexpected, you should have expected it." A heavy sigh drifted behind her: the Cheshire Cat reappeared, stretched out along the chimney, 'above' the action and upside-down. Its half-moon smile made a wide frown. "Saves time."

Running water moved somewhere nearby, tickling in her ears, mixing with a sudden hiss of fire. The Heartless materialized again, marching sideways: she ducked away from its arms as mallets swung wide to slap into the cooktop stove on the fireplace wall/floor. They came back wreathed in flames. Nova felt her dull heart skip through waves as the boy in red bounced backwards off of a heavy strike, slid into a turn, and dashed back for more. The green knight and the blue wizard ran with him. Figments stuttered on and off in a pell-mell race towards the other side of the room, passed through and around her and vanishing in a trailing rain of light.

Bare fingers dug deep grooves into her palms. "**_How could I have expected this?_**" she yelled at the Cat. The table collapsed again; Nova hopped in place, frustrated out of another leap. "How could I have expected _any_ of this?"

The Cat only grinned at her. "Ask where the key could be, not where it's been. Have you decided _where_ you are going?"

"Yes! Yes, there, I want to be _there_-"she punched a staggering dent into the wall trying to point at it. "I want that to be a floor. I want to see my son. He _needs_ me-"

"Who needs the key?" Now the Cat chortled, as if had heard something particularly funny. "The shadows do. And so do you."

"I want to save him _from_ the Heartless!"

"You can't." It stopped laughing. The sudden look it gave her was pointed and fierce. "You may have noticed. It's all mixed up thanks to the shadows. Or had you forgotten?"

"The Heartless..."

"Yessss." The Cat hissed once, then smiled around it: a sharp and deadly contrast. “All ways are the Queen’s ways, anyways. But even she can’t make our ways a ways as they used to.” It picked its teeth with a claw, grinning wider to reach the gaps. “Too many shadows for that.”

Nova let out one breath: two. “What do you want from me?” she stared at the Cat. “What was that… magic? I can’t use it.”

“Well… it’s not necessarily true to say that’s untrue. A can’t is less than don’t but more than won’t. You’re not very good at being _here_, you know: you’ll never make enough light with that door blocking the way. However…” the Cheshire Cat stretched onto its belly with a yawn "...however, it may be enough for shadows to appear.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

A long sigh dredged out a fan of ribbons. “Very well. No shortcuts here.” It stood and hitched stripes secure around its waist. The very tip of its tail plucked a pair of spectacles out of an invisible pocket and balanced them on a pink nose before withdrawing to wind into the shape of a lectern. Then the Cheshire Cat paused, coughed politely, and made a grand gesture from its new position. “Some ways are one ways, some ways are both ways,” it said. Then it paused, checked to see if she watched, and _harrumphed_ with a self-important air. “If you want to turn the room," it continued, "you’ll have to go around. Nothing works the same when the ground is not the ground.”

“Go around… the room?” Nova took a tentative step back and surveyed the space. It was bizarre and sensible in all the wrong ways: a water spout on the wall she was using as a floor pointed towards a vase on the wall/floor behind her, waterfall flowing like a river with nothing underneath it; fire licked up from the stove nearby, smoke drifting towards the opposite wall. It was as if she'd spun the wrong direction without the room spinning with her. “What am I looking for…Cat?”

Nova blinked; found it missing.

**_Obtuse._**

"Tch..." She pinched the bridge of her nose. Tried to think.

The action above drew her like a magnet. Her son appeared and disappeared with whatever whimsy the world wanted, still fighting. A strange mix of pride and fear bloomed outside constant, dull ache as she watched: her small, constricted heart buoyed in wistful clouds. Grey walls pressed down at the fringes, eager to swallow everything up with a terrible wave, but, for a moment, she _felt_.

Sora was alive.

She couldn't save him.

** _ Not here._ **

"All right." Bitter disappointment stung; she marveled at the texture. Fierce determination pushed at the walls: fought the grey. They would close soon. "How do I leave?" she asked, out loud.

** _ There._ **

Water caught her eye. The faucet kept running, but the vase never filled. Where did it go?

"I could try another dive." Nova dropped down and walked over to the spout, considering. She'd jumped through the pond and the ocean twice- three- four times now. If water worked as a portal all the time...

The river gushed into the wide mouth of the vase, fast and deafening, vanished somewhere inside a deep darkness. She could see where it should have been by bending underneath the fall. Her damp clothes soaked through from the spray; she shivered.

Maybe it didn't go anywhere. The fireplace had only worked once, opening a route she would never have expected. This world was full of paths she couldn't see, accessed in ways she couldn't predict. How could she be sure that leaving was the best option?

The Cat had told her to go around the room- _out _of the room, but-

Nova boosted herself into the side of the pot. She was a strong swimmer. It wouldn't take long to find out if the Cat was right.

But. Would Sora be there- what if she couldn't get back-

_ No._ She shook her head. Trying to reach for him meant seeing her son disappear in front of her. Again.

If there was hope in another way, she would take it.

Nova took a breath and leaped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cats are obtuse. This is truth.


	12. Wonderland: Part VII

"Cards! Seize them at once!"

"The Queen! To the Queen!"

"Get them, you fools! Quit joking around!"

Commands careened across the battle field. Selphie yelled into the noise and ducked, as small as she could go. Something slammed her sideways; sent her sprawling over her feet onto the grass. She raised her arms, curled up, and cried out all at once, expecting more.

Except-

"-Alice! You've got to be quick!" A shadow surrounded her- not a Heartless. Her clamped fingers brushed paper. Selphie opened one eye and found herself nose-to-nose with a card face. Its mouth opened into a deep, dark pit, screaming like a whisper into the noise: "Come along, Alice. Come along!"

Decks of soldiers fanned out and flew every direction at once around them, swinging and slicing back and forth with wobbly menace. Small Heartless shadows slithered through the ground to jump on them from behind. Soldier Heartless twisted into sideways kicks, danced backwards and leapt up into spinning whirlwinds that knocked over several in a row. Little cone-shaped Heartless with stick legs and bright yellow eyes floated madly through the air, heart-shaped emblem emblazoned on their red bodies. Dark, round heads bounced tall hats with curly tips and spun them around to fling fireballs in all directions.

It was utter chaos. Dangerous, awful chaos.

The card protecting Selphie flattened and bent upright from its arch overhead. It shuffled forward, driving her back, spear buried in the ground for leverage. She bounced onto her backside, still stunned, then rolled over and sprawled again before her legs remembered what to do. A protest finally broke loose: "Hey!"

It replied by whacking a small shadow out of the air in the middle of an attack. Another of the cards nearby, the Ace of Clubs, intercepted the small body, stood stiff until the Heartless crumpled off of its suit, then followed the creature down and stabbed it into dust.

The Two of Clubs grabbed her arm and pulled her upright. "To the Queen!" it shouted: too close, too grim, and very metallic under the paint can.

"To the Queen," agreed the Three. They surrounded and pushed her forward, twirling on cornered feet in an ungainly march.

"Hey!" Selphie had to run to keep up. She unrolled her jump rope and started swinging between sprints. It wasn't overwhelming or confusing any more, just busy and jumbled and too much like the trip from the pond. That made it easier, somehow. "I don't want to see the Queen," she said. "I like my head!"

"But-" a fireball clanged off the bucket. The Two moaned and whirled around, breaking ranks with the rest.

Selphie dodged out through the gap and snapped her weapon at another zippy red Heartless. It dribbled onto the ground and vanished with a glowing, heart-shaped puff. "I'm not going," she repeated, firmly. Loudly. "I don't like the Queen, and I want to keep my head. Thanks."

All three cards gasped and back-pedaled. The Heartless behind them scattered and tripped. "But- but you _must_," whined the Three.

"You _must_," the Two agreed.

"You _have_ to," said the Ace, with a frown. The card shook its spear and knocked another shadow into clouds. "It's the way."

"The Queen's way."

"All ways."

"Well, it's not _my_ way." Selphie hollered at them. "She's not _my_ Queen, and I'm not going!"

"What's that, you say?" Menace dripped behind her. Selphie felt wood thump against her backpack; she gritted her teeth into a not-quite-smile and looked up. The Queen herself glared right back, leaning far out of her throne-box, beady black eyes on fire, tiny crown askew on one ear, wide mouth drawn into a scream. "All ways here are _my_ ways." The heart topped scepter jangled around in a rush, then stabbed down, missing the girl by a nose. "OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

_Not good. _She whirled to run.

A great, shattering _boom!_ buckled the ground behind them. Something kicked Selphie in the side; she fell from a _whoosh_ of pain into endless spinning, then stopped as suddenly as she started, slammed hard into stone. A whistle of pain groaned out and tipped her flat onto the grass; she stared up above her as a white plinth reached for the flat, blue sky.

The White Rabbit cowered next to her in a flurry of fur, sputtering: "Don't stand around here. Goodbye- hello! Go away!"

Selphie touched her neck and found it whole. That was a surprise.

Then she turned her dizzy, still-attached head around. And groaned.

It was back. The big sunflower Heartless was back.

Oh, and it was _angry_. A cracked, broken face blinked yellow all around while thorny tendrils tangled in a vicious swirl. It had landed right in the center of the room and knocked everything into the walls: other Heartless splattered to a stop, cards launched into a pickup game in a fluttering rain, shredded grass breezed down in a veil.

The Queen was yelling- _still_ yelling. She'd never stopped, really, only now her face was ripe and red and about to burst. "HOW DARE YOU-" came the unwieldy shout.

It didn't answer her. Fire sizzled awake in the wide, broken maw.

Could it answer? Did Heartless ever talk? Selphie suddenly never wanted to find out.

Before she had a chance to move, to think, a familiar figure leaped in front of them all, small and quick. It carried a spear and pointed at the flower; raised the weapon high with a booming shout.

Selphie cheered. White glitter exploded everywhere; flashed to ice.

"_DEEP FREEZE!_"

  
__________________________________________________________________________

"Borrowing this-" Nova muttered at the card soldier- _some kind of spade pattern_ -even as she snatched a weapon from it at a dead run.

The water had dumped her on top of a hedge this time, leaving a blank wall behind. How- didn't matter.

She spotted the sunflower Heartless. _Again_. It was terrorizing a room full of fighting cards, more little shadows, a shouting woman inside a boxed-in throne, and-

Selphie.

The bright yellow shirt and pink backpack made her too visible: the girl took a hit from a thorn vine in the side. She flew to the left and bounced off a white pillar. Painful to watch: Nova sprang off the side of the wall instead and vaulted for the enemy.

Even as she moved, she reached down. Down... down... down, deep inside herself. A crack waited somewhere in the grey fog surrounding her heart. Somewhere. How wide was it? She groped after something she could never forget and dared not recall. The walls held something away: something powerful. Something true.

:_Pain:_

:_Fear:_

:_Grief_:

**_And more. But... _**

A feeling as thin as paper and sharp as a knife slipped out from behind glass. Nova groped after it through thick, solid grey that smothered her senses, slowed her thoughts, blurred her sight. She touched something: edges pressed into her hands, unfolded into weightless wonder. Something ignited against her palm. 

Outside, her body landed on the ground; recovered into a sprint.

The crack was closing; closed. Clarity vanished with it, lost in the fog. Already gone. Empty but for a whisper: **_you won't remember_**.

Ice bloomed down the length of her weapon. Nova slid underneath pounding tendrils, locked her weight behind the spell, and braced for the kick.

**_I wish..._**

She drowned herself with a roar.

No hesitation. The _blizzaza _spell rocketed into the Heartless, force bowing backwards at impact. Heavy crystals by the hundreds punched at the hardened shell to raucous applause; hit home with a deafening _CRACK!_

Nova didn't wait. A fine layer of ice trailed in the spell's wake: she pushed herself onto it and into a slide, crouched low, spear pointed forward. Remnants of magic drove her down the path, faster and faster.

The Heartless pulled its thorns inward. Booming explosions smeared into one noise as tendrils lifted turf and clapped together with crushing effort; an avalanche of dirt and leaves chewed quick at her heels. The main body stood frozen: trembling. Steam hissed out of the top. Its sunflower face started to glow underneath a prismatic shield.

Magic dissipated off the frozen grass. Nova ran out of rail and into a spinning dive, aimed for the heart-shaped symbol. Her spear connected; cut through crystal.

Ice shattered with a wailing _screech!_ The flower flopped free and bowed inward, fire menacing deep inside of its gaping mouth.

Nova reached the end of her lunge and stalled, caught on the shell. She extended both arms and hurled the spear with every bit of strength she had left, all the momentum she could force behind. It staggered forward a finger; a breath. Two.

One.

Silence dropped; vanished.

Whiplash knocked her out of the center and into a deafening wave. A shining red heart rode out through the blast, dissolving the air and the Heartless around it with a circle of pure white light.

_Always pretty. Always sad_, she thought, right before the ground reached up to greet her.

  
__________________________________________________________________________

"Miss Nova! You're back! Where have you _been_?" A whirlwind tangle of arms and legs knocked her over before she could recover. Selphie hugged her around the waist fiercely, wailing: "They're gone! They're gone!"

"Wait, what-" Nova tried to stand, failed, and put her arm around the girl's shoulders instead. "I don't understand," she said.

"The hearts are gone! The cards... everybody- I saw them... I didn't see- you didn't tell me... do they come back?" Big green eyes stared up at her, tears brimming at the corners.

_Oh._ Nova was suddenly grateful for her walls. If any question could spur so many emotions... and she had no time, no time. "Yes, they can, but Selphie, listen to me, how did you get here?" She adjusted herself with difficulty, finally, and sat cross-legged on the grass, supporting them both. The pole end of the spear dug into turf, ready and waiting, wavering nervous with energy. "I found Sora," she said. "We have to-"

"Really? Where is he? How did he get here? Like us?" Now Selphie scrambled upright, baring her teeth in a fantastic grin. "Did you see Zell? And Kairi? Is everyone else okay? How did they get here? Are they here? I thought- we thought the Heartless... they didn't?"

"I didn't see- I don't-" The impossible took her breath away. Nova opened her mouth and suddenly could not speak.

A shimmering bell-sound rippled through the grass, the walls, the sky. It flattened all sense, sent her reeling into a space between knowing and nothing as the immense heart of the world shuddered, stretched, swung wide and _clicked_ closed. The heavy veil over her own heart listened and followed, ripped open and stitched back together in an instant, there and gone again with the deep, dull _clunk!_ of a locked door. Pounding from the other side of the glass turned to exquisite, frantic pain; she fell over, hands trying to press it back in, push it back in, keep it contained-

Words rattled in her ears, meaningless. _What?_

She had to find Sora.

She had to-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Twelve: in which action scenes (which I begin to love with a profound delight), Fourth level magic, a little bit of flowmotion, and Nova's l-*intense static interruption* -all make an appearance. 
> 
> Welp, no surprises left. Pity, that. ~-^


	13. Wonderland: Part VIII

"Don't make another move or you'll be sorry!"

Selphie dashed over to her friend, jump rope stretched tight between her fists. "You don't scare me," she bristled, teeth bared. Ready to defend them both.

A messy bundle of peppery little thoughts tangled up and jabbed at her insides: anger, dread, surprise, and confusion shot through her thumping heart, bouncing like Wakka's blitz ball between paopu trees. Worry topped them all: Miss Nova had come back, had beaten the big, tangled-up, hard-shelled Heartless with magic- _magic?_ -and then she'd fallen over and wouldn't get up. Wouldn't she? Selphie didn't know.

And she couldn't do anything about it with all the cards staring at _her_.

Whatever. She'd had enough.

The Ace of Clubs appeared out of the stack, holding out its hands. "Now, Alice," it began.

"Don't even try," she snapped. "You weren't any help at all, and the Queen wasn't either."

It looked unhappy at that. "We didn't mean to-"

"Quit dawdling!" Angry bellows blasted from somewhere in the back. The Queen hadn't lost her heart or her voice in the fighting and didn't waste a second as she swept through the crowd in a high temper. Her tiny crown had been knocked to one side in the fray; stray clumps pulled a tight bun into a loose mess of hair. The flouncy red and black dress made waves out of careless cards, even as her scepter wagged raging circles at the nearest, yelling: "Get rid of these creatures and find Alice. Immediately!"

"Yes, find Alice, find Alice," the White Rabbit reappeared out of her shadow, wheezing and mopping its forehead with a handkerchief, trumpet tucked under one arm. "You heard the Queen- do what she said."

A handful of soldiers saluted immediately and jogged off towards a side opening in the hedges, spears waving like banners in a breeze. Even more cards picked up the motion, running zigzag patterns across the field to herd the remaining Heartless into corners and pick them off, one by one.

The Three, Two, and Ace of Clubs remained annoyingly close, fluttering from foot to foot, sheepish. Selphie frowned at them. She wanted to check on her friend, but-

"And what are you?" The Queen skirled to a stop in front of her, robes swishing angry circles. She pointed an imperious finger. "_You_ are not a card."

"Most certainly not," muttered the White Rabbit.

"I never said I was." Selphie glared at it.

"Please, your Majesty," said the Two, "we found this Alice-"

"I said I'm not-"

"SILENCE!" Stiff paper scattered flat and face-planted into grass. The Queen stooped to peer at her, made a sniff of disgust, and looked away with a sneer. "This isn't the right Alice. We cannot have sentencing without the defendant. Wrong. All wrong!"

"Then why was I on trial?" Selphie's cheeks puffed out. "I told you I wasn't Alice the _entire_ time."

"Trial? I'm far too busy for that now." The Queen dismissed her with a wave. "We've more pressing concerns. These shadows are the culprit. There's no doubt about it. Bringing nonsense into _my_ court." She seemed offended at the mere notion. 

"Carried away Alice," the White Rabbit confirmed with a sad nod, mostly to itself.

"But it's- you- it's already nonsense." Selphie ignored the cards and their exaggerated shushing motions. She couldn't decide between feeling angry or confused and landed somewhere in the middle. It was all _so_ unfair. "I told you I wasn't Alice. You wouldn't listen to me."

The Queen turned a bright shade of pink in an instant. "Hold your tongue!" she yelled, prickling with fury. "How dare you speak to me in such a way!"

"But I-"

"Please excuse us, your Majesty." A weak voice spoke up behind her; Selphie tripped over her own feet to find it. Miss Nova had pushed herself up into a kneeling position on the grass to face them all. A tight fist held the front of her shirt together, as if it hurt somewhere underneath.

It probably did: her voice sounded all wrong, all wrong.

The Queen turned in an instant. "And what are you?" she demanded.

"_My_ friend." Selphie scowled and sidled in for a block, jump rope swinging.

They all pondered the implications for a moment. Then: "It's not an Alice," the White Rabbit confirmed, helpfully.

"It's not a card, either," said the Ace from the floor. Clubs nodded to each other in agreement, punctuated by the rattle of a metal bucket.

"I don't care what it _isn't_, I want to know what it _is_."

"Just a visitor, if you please, your Majesty." Miss Nova replied. She breathed in slowly, and said: "We're here to fight those shadows."

"We are?" Selphie plastered a quick smile on her face. "Oh yeah! We totally are."

Her friend didn't seem to notice the furtive, wide-eyed panic. She bowed her head until it showed off an uncomfortable view of her neck, and said: "Of course, we would be honored to look for Alice at the same time."

There was a long pause as the Queen considered. Finally, her chin lifted with a haughty noise of disgust. "Hmph. Of course you will. And you _will_ find Alice, or heads will roll." She dismissed them all with a flouncing swirl of her scepter and tromped towards another hapless hand of victims. The White Rabbit hop-scurried after, still flustered and muttering and already preoccupied with his Queen's newest demands, the rest already forgotten. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh me, oh my..."

Selphie stepped forward without meaning to. Then she didn't care: "_Our_ heads? Hey!"

"Wait," Miss Nova made a quelling motion with her hand before she could finish being angry.

"But-"

"Let it go."

"That's not fair." Selphie hissed and stamped her foot on the ground in frustration. More threats of head removal. Oh, it made her _steam_. "She can't be like that."

"Yes, she can. It's their world, not ours."

"That doesn't make it fair."

Miss Nova sighed. "No, it isn't. But we don't belong here, and we have to remember that." She made a noise like a cough and stood, propped against the spear for support. "Concentrate on the Heartless and let the world manage itself."

More cards scurried around them, bumbling back and forth, uncoordinated and busy with anything as soon as their Queen got within shouting distance. Sad, brassy whistles wandered out of the winded White Rabbit in a corny accompaniment, drowned quick by loud yelling that boomed off the flat walls. Every bit of it was the same silly nonsense they'd heard already; Selphie made a face. "It doesn't manage itself very well at _all_," she muttered.

"They get to decide that for themselves." Her friend coughed again and bent over. She was shivering and damp, clothes partially frozen and still covered in paint. The hand at her chest squeezed tight.

Selphie kicked herself. "Oh no, I'm sorry, you're hurt. Was that magic? That was great! Hang on, I've gotta potion somewhere-" she tore the bag off of her back and frantically began rummaging through it: pencils, journals, loose pages, little gummi blocks, and a stray piece of chocolate jumbled onto the grass.

The three Clubs folded upright and tottered out of range, only to spin back around before they collided with the rest of the deck. All except for the Two, who missed and bumbled into her. It didn't hurt, but Selphie still had to snatch the glass potion bottles away before they cracked. "Hey!" She liked them less and less every time they popped up. "Go away," she growled.

"Wait-" Miss Nova tapped the Ace with the flat end of her spear. "Do you know where the upside-down room is? The big room: right-side up. Table on the floor."

"Ooooooh..." Now they all seemed happier. "We know where that is," said the Two, a mournful hollow under the paint can. The Three pushed its pointing to the proper place: "Door knob's in there."

An arch with deep darkness beneath it sat inside the back wall, behind more hedges. It wasn't the same door they'd used to get to the room: _that _portal stood to her right, and was full of busy soldiers dashing in and out.

Funny. A perfectly good door and no one was using it. "Doorknob to where? What's in there?" Selphie asked the cards, already suspicious.

"Sora."

"Wait, what?" No one paid any attention: the cards waggled eyebrows at each other; her teacher was already limping away. Selphie stared after, mouth opening and closing and utterly useless. Then she threw every carefully dropped item back into her slush pile of a bag and ran, trying to zip it shut and get it on her back and not trip over her own feet all at the same time. She hesitated; snatched one of the bottles back out. "Miss Nova, you were serious? He's here?"

Her friend stepped inside the door. Selphie followed as quick as she could, a million questions shoved out of the way for one, very important: "Really?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter.... ugh. 
> 
> I had to cut it in half. Then I realized what kind of cliffhanger I'd be leaving you all on... oddly familiar and _entirely_ unintentional. 
> 
> *random aggravated writerly noises*
> 
> Please enjoy _three_ more update weeks for the price of two before the break. Seems only fair.


	14. Wonderland: Part IX

The room was just as she remembered: huge, out of proportion, spun right way up and all wrong, _all wrong_. A white table dwarfed the very middle with a smaller, matching chair flanked to its side. Stoves sat quiet in the cooktop without their hissing fire. A large, empty pot rested under a closed faucet on the far wall, ready to catch more water.

Everything was in its place. Except the Heartless... the fighters... had vanished without a trace.

_Why?_

Too much pain warred fiercely inside an ever-present fog, bright flashes snapped raw through the gloom. Too much hope made Nova blink and blink again. A familiar figure would flicker to life... _now_.

Or _now_.

Or...

"It's empty." Selphie's voice boomed loud through the room. She scrunched under her shoulders, wincing. "Wow. Ouch. But-" she peeked out, curious. "-there aren't any Heartless around, either. I wonder why."

Nova's head shifted, creaking on rusted hinges. A very large door stood open in the far wall. Another sat closed behind them, just the right size to walk inside- if they could ever get it open. The brass doorknob snored gently, fast asleep.

Surprise fell far, far, _far_ below all other necessary functions of the moment. She watched the small mouth flap open and closed around a droning buzz: absorbed the scene, hardly seeing. Somehow, Nova knew a Keyhole lived inside that doorknob. She knew where the world had been locked.

And it _hurt_.

"Sora was here," she said. The words sounded right; her voice did not.

"I guess... I mean, that's weird." Selphie frowned at the doorknob. "Maybe we could wake it up? See if anyone's been here. I mean- I guess..." the girl stubbed her toe on the tile floor; squinted with an apologetic smile. "Maybe we could find out where he went?"

"Sora _was_ here."

"Well, yeah, but... are you sure?"

Questions flared into layers of ringing echoes. Nova stepped into air; landed on the smooth tabletop with a grunt and a _thump!_ Her legs shook for the effort. She spared a brief glance downward, at Selphie's open mouth, then spun to the rest of the room and screamed: "SORA!"

Silence trickled backwards. Nova felt each second discarded at her feet, abandoned pages torn from a stripped book. A hand crept up; made a fist in front of her heart.

She raised her head again. "SORA!"

Eternity drowned in waves. Bright sunlight laced over her hair and shoulders in a warm blanket. Nova lifted a hand to shield her face and stared out across familiar water. A tiny rowboat approached the shore; a small figure waved enthusiastically from the bow. She smiled-

-wept-

-sat shaking and quiet in the middle of a cold glass platform, knees huddled close to her chest. Fog filled her to the brim, tangled slurry of dark and light drawn in trailing lines that bloomed to clouds in the deep black sky.

Her sky.

No stars.

_None at all_.

Sora wasn't there.

She couldn't find him.

"Oh. Hello again."

Yellow eyes re-appeared; smiled at her. The Cheshire Cat grinned, close enough to make her twitch, blotting out the rest of the huge room with the tip of its too-visible pink nose. "I see you've gone. But they've gone too. Oh what to do, what to do?"

Something bitter and strange lodged high in her throat. Nova would have reached for it if her heart hadn't plummeted straight through the floor. She couldn't move.

She couldn't think.

She couldn't speak.

The Cat hung upside-down from some point in the empty air, arms crossed, ignoring her effort. "Have you decided _where_ you are going?" it asked again. Then it flipped over and bundled its tail to its chest, hugging it tightly, eager for her reply. "Will you be _here_ soon?"

Something ragged found her voice. "Where's Sora?" she rasped.

"The what?"

"The key."

"What key?"

"That's what _I_ said," yelled Selphie.

Something in Nova's head finally caught up. "Never mind," she said, stiff.

Was she certain Sora had been there at all?

The world had been locked. She knew that.

Had _felt_ that.

And Sora... had been the only one she'd seen with a Keyblade.

If that had really been her son.

But she'd been sure. So sure...

She couldn't feel his heart. Had she felt it at all?

A plaintive call drifted up from the floor. "Hey! What's going on?"

The Cheshire Cat waggled its ears in a pert goodbye to the noise; bounced closer. "Oh, I never mind. Too much mindness leads to madness, so they say."

"Ah." Nova backpedaled and felt the edge of the table with her heel. Too close. She grimaced and tried to duck around the Cat.

"When you're through minding-" the stripes on its tail uncurled in two different directions and lashed back and forth, blocking her path "-you should try mending."

"Now for myself," it continued, grinning at her attention, "I'm partial to madness, but I do take occasional time to mend." Ribbons coiled themselves back together, neat and tidy. The Cheshire Cat pointed to her, smile finally removed. "Unless you prefer the shadows."

A light tap flicked across her forehead. Nova flinched; cracked one eye open. The toe of a paw rested warm on her skin while hot breath misted against her cheeks. "Much easier to wake magic in Somebody _here_, wouldn't you say?" said the Cat.

Nova stared at it. Stricken.

"But, here we are. And _here_ we'll be." It grinned again, voice pitched lower, and lower, words drowned in a quiet mutter: "_If_ you ever find your key."

Pain slammed into her head. Air gasped; raced by. Nova twisted in mid-fall and landed on the floor with a shock that sizzled straight through her feet and up into her spine.

"Hey!" A yell glanced off of her ear, loud echoes making half sense. "Hey, Cat! That wasn't very nice." Selphie bristled over her.

"It's fine-" Nova remembered the spear in her hand and scraped it off the floor to lean on.

"No, it's not." The pink backpack jittered sideways, blurred beyond comprehension. A clear green potion appeared: caught in her hand. Selphie made sure it stayed put before she turned to wave her fist up at the Cat. "You shouldn't do that to people."

"I suppose." it yawned, then beamed at them from over the edge of the table, thick, fluffy tail pillowed under its chin. "Tell me, will you croquet with the Queen to-day?"

"Will what now?"

Nova finally closed her dry, gritty eyes. Everything felt too big, too full, too sore, too dull. Echoes of feelings made meaningless mumbles skitter through the brittle, lonely hollows of her head. "It's a game." She flattened heavily on her spear to prop herself up. Words grated out, sore and pointed. "We're tired of games, Cat."

"And the Queen," grumbled Selphie.

"Please." Nova found the Cheshire Cat balancing its head on its hip. Her own was tired and tight with too few thoughts left to spare for wonder. "Where did they go?"_ Was it real?_

"Why, I have no idea. _I've _never left. It's more fun to be right."

"Wait... that makes sense," Selphie sounded surprised.

"It _does_?" The grinning head bounced from paw to paw: up, down, up, down, round and round and round and round- "Isn't that _marvelous_!"

The potion stung her tongue and tasted like nothing she could recall after swallowing. Nova followed the burning feeling out into her body as she tried to push herself back to sense. It took a few moments for the mixture to work; for the ache of her heart to separate itself from the rest; for the feeling of health without healing. Her entire body thrummed with pain. Keened with loss. One tiny cut into the deepest part of her was not easily forgotten. "Don't encourage it," she muttered into her fist.

The bottle disappeared inside a pink bag. "I'm _not_," Selphie huffed.

"Our ways are still a ways aways from everything they used to be-" The Cat lazed sideways "-but _she'll_ be happy without the biggest of shadows clawing at her door." It made the careless point by yawning, stretching, and unsheathing all of its own weaponry. Then it flopped upside down, uncoiling downwards in a spiral cloud of purple and pink ribbons. "It was a very effective key, wouldn't you say?"

"No. He's my son, he's..." Nova struggled around all the things she knew, things she didn't want to remember, _wouldn't_ remember, determined- no, _helpless_ to forget the life outside of her small world, her books, her work, her son, her _son_ "...he shouldn't have that weapon at all." She covered her face with her hands. "How did this happen?"

"He's very good at being _here_."

"But... Sora's not here." Selphie spun in a circle before squinting at the Cat. "Is he?"

"Why, not at all. They've gone ahead. Gone away. Out of Wonderland, they say."

"'They'?"

"Well, there's the Duchess. And the Cook." It started counting upwards from its remaining toes. Most of them had already vanished, along with a considerable number of stripes. "And the Queen- the other one- quite the gossip. We might hear from the Walrus, once he's finished dinner-"

"No, not that 'they', the _other_ people. C'mon, Cat." Selphie made a noise of disgust and scowled up. "The other people with Sora- there were other people, right? Who were they?" She looked ready to take the table at a running start.

"Who indeed? Who's to say? Others rarely come this way." Eyes rolled free: it had vanished at a steady pace. Smiling teeth giggled as they faded last: "The door is locked- you'll need a key. And that will never come from me."

"Hey!"

Too late: the table was empty. Selphie fumed. "I'm good with cats, Miss Nova, I _promise_. But _that_ Cat makes me so- oof!" She turned, face falling immediately. "Wait. Are you okay?"

_Numb again_. "Yeah."

"You're crying."

"I am?" She touched her cheeks; looked at her wet fingers. "Oh."

_Odd_.

Selphie stamped her foot. "That stupid Cat probably made everything up."

"No. No, he was here. Sora was here-" she _had_ to believe that "-I saw him, but I couldn't- his friends-" Nova shook her head, suddenly, incredibly tired. She had seen the symbol on the knight's shield before- too strange a coincidence to think about now. It _hurt_ to think. Nova pressed a heavy fist into her heart; tried to push it somewhere away from her. "I didn't recognize either of them. They weren't from the islands."

"Oh." Selphie deflated. Then, she made another noise. Nodded. "All right." She resettled the straps on her backpack. "Let's go."

"Go?"  
  
"C'mon. Back inside." Selphie rolled her eyes and pointed at the path behind them. As if it was obvious. "We should finish off the rest of the Heartless so they don't hurt anyone else."

"Sora... locked the heart of the world. It won't fall."

"But. The world has a- nevermind." Selphie made a frustrated noise and twisted a hair end straight. "But we should fight the Heartless, shouldn't we? That's what we told the Queen we were gonna do."

"And we have." Nova waved the spear in her palm: a pointed reminder. "We can't stay. They'll be fine against the little ones."

"Really? How do you know?"

"There are always little ones." 

A whistled of air escaped puffed-out cheeks. "That's not what I _meant_. What if some bigger Heartless shows up, like that plant? What about all the hearts that the Heartless took away- where did they go?" Selphie hiccuped, ducked her head and said, with a quieter mumble: "When I smacked that Heartless, they didn't come back like I thought they would. I- does that mean that our friends are..."

Distant feelings murmured below the fog in a deep, unyielding ache. _Bottled and stowed with nowhere to go_, Nova thought, gratitude laced with sour flavor. The tiny release granted by the Cat now seemed a dried-out memory stoppered fast behind a hazy dream; she groped her way through the truth: "Every Heartless we... destroy could come back," she admitted. "We can help, but we can't save them ourselves. Selphie-" the spear pressed forwards, a sudden support and very intent against a fall "-it takes something special to save a heart. Normal weapons- magic, too -will break a Heartless down and make it vanish for a while. But the only thing that will free the heart inside is a Key-" she choked on the word, grimaced, then repeated herself slowly, each syllable falling with careful weight "-to save a heart, you need a Keyblade."

"A what?"

"It's a weapon. A key big enough to be a sword. Wielders use them to protect the light- to fight the darkness."

Selphie gasped. Her eyes went round. "Wow. How do they work? How do we get one? Can we get one?" The girl revived at once, eyes shining. "Can I get one?"

Nova frowned. "I don't know how you could get one. I don't know how Sora got one. None of this makes sense to me." The space between her eyes hurt; she pulled her fingers away and stared at her hand.

"I guess so." Selphie didn't seem convinced. "But, what about Alice? We promised to help find her."

"We'll look for her," Nova replied, slowly. "On our way back. We shouldn't stay here. On this world. Not for long."  
  
"Why not? We haven't found anything for the ship- I haven't, anyway." An embarrassed glance darted out. "I- uh... forgot to look."  
  
"Well-" A noise _clannnged _off the tile floor: they turned together, ready for trouble. All three Clubs stood near the small door with the snoring doorknob, gathered into a tiny row. The Two had finally pulled free of the bucket: dried red paint flecked across its head and shoulders; rained on the floor as the can rolled away. The rest were wringing their hands and waiting. For what? For them?  
  
"Hey!" Selphie stalked over and gave them a nasty glare, hands on her hips. "You're not still looking for our heads, are you?"

"No, miss," said the Three, shaking its head quickly.

"The Queen said you weren't the Alice she wanted," followed the Ace. "But we- thought we might-"

"-keep an eye on you-" interrupted the Two, with a sheepish look. "Just in case."

"Just in case of what? In case we find the Alice the Queen wants? Or in case she changes her mind about me?"

All three cards looked at the floor at once, shuffling from foot to foot.  
  
Quietly.

Nova stepped up as Selphie's shoulders drooped. She touched one with a light, shaky finger. "We're underprepared. And tired." Potions would only do so much. She gripped the spear with both hands again, certain the floor would reach up to give her a painful hug if she let go. "Back to the ship," she said.

Silence.

Finally, Selphie rubbed at her face and, in a much smaller voice, said: "Yeah. Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darn it, Cat. Nova wasn't supposed to know about the Oysters!
> 
> Also, the bottles are missing. Hmm...
> 
> Side Note: In some ways, I regret not having a more... upbeat story these past few weeks. It's been a difficult few chapters, and I wonder if part of that is because there's just so much _everything_ going on right now.
> 
> In some ways, it doesn't matter what the 'now' holds, because a reader can read this with the benefit of being from the future *waves in temporal*
> 
> For me, however, I've found myself struggling more with the darker concepts and complexities I've introduced as I write. Perhaps it's the pandemic and quarantines -and all other associated things- adding to the difficulty curve. Perhaps I've simply reached the soggy middle of this work and found the natural part where everything starts to slog- I don't know.
> 
> That said, however, I don't want to stop. There is still more story to tell- the next world will be markedly more cheerful, thank the gods -and I'd really like to finish what I started.
> 
> I hope everything up to this point has been interesting to read. I will do my best to keep to the schedule, even as the world upends around us all. Everyone, please stay safe, stay well, and be good to each other.


	15. Interlude II: The Other Sky

_ "Hey, Kairi! Wanna go out to the library with me? I've gotta work on the newsletter."_

_ "Oh, hey, Selphie! No, I can't today, I'm sorry."_

_ "You've been out with Sora an' Riku a lot by yourselves. I haven't seen you in forever. What are you doing?"_

_ "Umm... working on a project."_

_ "A project? We don't have any kind of school thing I forgot- we're on break!"_

_ "No. No, nothing like that. It's just something I can't talk about yet, that's all."_

_ "Oh. Okay."_

_ "I made a promise. But don't worry! We'll be back. See you!"_

_ "Yeah, see you later... I guess..."_

_ "..."_

_ "...back from where?"_

"Whoa, hey!"

The weird little world vanished in a blink: its pink and white checkered pattern blurred into the tiny white tower and green hedges until everything turned into a misshapen marble with a faint glow. Soon, it reduced to a speck of light.

Then it wasn't even that.

"Miss Nova, stop!"

Another world loomed quickly. This one looked like some kind of jungle, oddly shaped and covered with big trees and lots of loopy vines. There was even a treehouse perched on top, built sturdy and tall above a huge waterfall that misted off the side into empty space. They veered towards it; barreled ahead until branches started peeping out from between massive blots of green-

"C'mon, stop, you're going too fast!"

Selphie whacked her knees into the back of the pilot's seat; the gummi ship changed direction so fast her stomach bounced, slingshot into a freefall. She groaned and gripped the sides even tighter, howling: "Where are we going?" 

No answer came back to her. Another world popped into view, covered in small, narrow buildings and a delicate, embellished black fence. The bottom half looked like some kind of farm- she couldn't be sure because they were already skimming past-

-into a swarm of colorful gummi blocks-

-past several nasty looking ships-

-swerving around a swirly looking hole-

"C'mon, Miss Nova!"

The gummi ship saved her. Them. Saved them. Several buttons on the console began flashing all at once; a screaming alarm wailed from the side. Things she'd carved out of magic blocks that had never worked before were about to stop working. The fuel gauge in the wall had dipped low- _very_ low -another minute and they'd run out-

Rockets stopped all at once. The ship sputtered- hopped twice -then began to coast forward. Slowing down by degrees.

Her teacher let go of the steering and dropped her hands, curling them into fists on her knees. Nova's body followed them down, into a slump, face hidden by a messy curtain of hair. Shoulders vibrated: taut.

_Ouch_. Selphie felt the twinge in her own fingers and grimaced. They peeled off from the sides of the chair with the same sticky feeling she got from a warm piece of soft candy. She shook them clear. Her legs stiffened: feet dropped back to the ground with a tiny _whumph_ as the blocks flattened back down underneath.

Not good. She needed to check that.

Later.

"Where are we even going?" Selphie stamped the floor again, relieved when it didn't move a second time. And the noise made a satisfying support for her yelling. "I didn't see anything that looked- where are we going?"

"I thought I could find him if I followed my heart." Nova muttered. Then, she threw her head back. A lop-sided smile twisted her face into a terrible frown. "I couldn't find him there... maybe somewhere out here... no." Her mouth crooked up to a grin, somehow even more sad. "Stupid." She mocked herself, quietly. "Your heart isn't good for anything anymore."

Selphie twitched. The first sign of something happy on her teacher's face their _entire_ trip, and it didn't look happy at _all_. "That's not true," she said. "C'mon, we can find him, just..." she sidled sideways, hands up, pleading "...can I drive?"

A long breath gusted in; out. "Yes."

They switched positions: Selphie threw herself into the seat and grabbed for the steering, fingers flexed uncomfortably around several deep grooves in the blocks. They would pop back out eventually. Zell had tested that sometimes, when he'd gotten too frustrated about something. From what she could tell, gummi blocks always retained their original shape: it took a lot of effort to knock them out of form for any amount of time.

_Huh_. She checked one of the divots. Still rock hard: not even a little puffy. 

_Wow_.

She really, _really_ wanted to learn how to pilot like that.

"Okay." Selphie slapped her lap and swiveled the seat around; braked with her toe. "How do we look for Sora?"

Nova had wandered to the far side of the cockpit: she leaned against the bubble window now, spear snatched up from whatever corner it had rolled into and propped at a slant nearby. Gloom gathered like heavy smoke around her; made it harder to see anything. "I don't know," she said, after a while. "Any one of those stars out there could be the heart we most want to find." Her eyes glittered in the dim light; a smaller, quieter voice finished: "I can't find him."

Shadows crowded in; Selphie shivered and rubbed at her arms. They'd disconnected most of the glowing gummi blocks to save energy for flying. She didn't like the shadows because they made her think too much of Heartless, but it had seemed worth the effort if they could keep moving.

Except now they had _less_ power to work with than they'd ever had.

_Mrph_. An uncomfortable noise puffed out of her nose. _Be fair_. They hadn't had a lot left to begin with: it really _would_ have helped them more if they'd found a way to fuel up the ship on the last world instead of getting lost and distracted by the bad-tempered Queen and her deck of soldiers. Or that Cat. _Ugh_. Selphie wiggled in her seat; pouted down at her feet and waved them back and forth; watched her thick sandals flicker in and out of various shades of grey. Thinking of what to say. Something helpful... "The stars are hearts?" she finally asked.

"The stars are worlds. Worlds have hearts." _Like that one_, Nova's fingers crooked; brushed the top of the bubble as she pointed to the last one they'd seen, already a smudge of color retreating far, far behind them. "Sometimes... a person shines so brightly you can see their hearts. Just like you see a world. It's... another kind of star."

"Wow." None of that sounded like anything she'd ever read before. Or heard. "Really?"

"Something like that." Gummi blocks _squeaked_ as her teacher dropped into the other chair. The spear collapsed to a stiff line across her legs. Nova looked down at it, messy brown hair sliding down over her shoulders in thick bundles. "If your heart is connected to another's- and your bond is strong enough -you can follow them anywhere." She blew out; gestured. "Their heart."

"Wow. That's kind of romantic." Selphie felt her cheeks warm. "Oh, but I guess it doesn't have to be someone you like, _love_, right? Like a... different kind. It could be someone like Sora. For you."

"Or you."

"Whaaat?" She double waved in front of her, very quickly. "I don't like Sora like _that_."

"I didn't expect you to." A tiny hint of humor peeked out from inside Nova's crooked voice. "Unless I should?"

"NO! No, no, no, that's not-" Selphie winced "-wow, that sounds _bad_, but I'm pretty sure Kairi-" her hands moved to her mouth with a _gasp!_ as more words welled up and spilled through her fingers, "I did _not_ just say that. You did _not_ hear that."

"Mmm..." a flash of teeth: Nova's hands were suddenly busy spinning, twirling, or whatever it was she did to get most of her hair knotted up tight at the back of her head. The part towards the front was hopeless, sticking out in all directions like Sora's, but Selphie had always found the rest of whatever kind of braiding she did really interesting. She'd always wanted to ask- she wanted a better look, honestly -but now she was rooted to her seat, mortified. Kairi would never forgive her. _Never_. Her big mouth... and to Sora's _Mom_\- wow.

It wasn't like it was a secret: not really. Kairi had never said anything to her about it, but it wasn't like Selphie couldn't tell.

Unless Kairi liked Riku more, now. Hard to be sure with her and Riku and Sora always off together building their raft. A bitter feeling wandered through; she shook her head and waved it away. She knew her friend looked up to Riku- _everybody_ did -but _ooooooh_-

"So!" Selphie cleared her throat. "So, we can follow our hearts to find Sora. I guess that makes sense." Her feet kicked out; she brought them back with a heavy _squish_ of her heels against the seat: _bonk!_ The sounds each gummi block made were so different... "Oh! Uh... how do we do it?"

"We can follow your heart, Selphie. A bond of friendship can be just as strong. Stronger, sometimes. It is another kind of love."

"Yeah, but-" her nose crinkled up "-why me? Miss Nova, you're his Mom. Isn't your connection, like, the strongest thing ever? I mean, if some kind of love is all you need..."

The shadowed figure across from her froze. Silence stuffed a heavy blanket into the cockpit. Selphie winced away from it; hunched over and heard a _squinch_ as her own teeth bit into the side of her cheek.

Oh, what did she say _now_?

It felt like forever until something broke through the uncomfortable stillness. Selphie scooted forward in her seat and frowned. "What? I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"I said: 'no'. I can't." Deft fingers finished tying with a couple of careful pats. Nova avoided her gaze just as carefully.

_Okay?_ Selphie scowled. That didn't sound right. She'd just had Zell for the longest time- and the rest of the guys in the garage, they'd all helped -so she didn't know what having an _actual_ parent was like, but she could guess. "Really?"  
  
"Really."

"Why?"

A long sigh drifted between them- one often used for an exceptionally late library book. Selphie heard a rustle and a _clunk_ as the butt of the spear hit the floor. Her teacher leaned forwards, elbows on her knees, weapon rolled between her hands as they slid against each other, back and forth. Her eyes were very dark under the shadows: direct. "Tell me what you know about hearts," she said.

_Ugh_. "Why?"

"It's important."

"Augh. Okay?" Selphie rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks. Questions pretending to be answers: she couldn't stand it.

Now she remembered. She didn't hate Miss Nova- not exactly. But she hadn't exactly liked her much before their world had imploded, either. She wasn't one of the regular teachers at her school and hadn't even tried to _be_ one. No one had ever seen her outside the library, she'd never gone out to eat with everyone at lunch, and she'd always vanish when no one was looking. Zell had made Sora cry once, calling his mom a ghost-

-and it was funny how quick she'd appeared that time. Or, any time Sora had gone looking, really.

Zell had refused to go into the library after that. _Not that he'd ever wanted to._

Miss Nova hadn't been Selphie's favorite teacher, before or after that. But she wasn't the worst, either, just... weird. And she didn't mind her now: not as much. Not especially after they'd gotten separated in that last world. It wouldn't have been good to be alone there. Or anywhere, she'd realized. Not at all.

"Uhh..." Selphie shook her head; tried to tamp down her irritation. She was more likely to get a real answer if she tried to follow along. Teachers were always like that. _Fine._ "Hearts have... feelings and stuff," she said.

_Yeah_. Of course they did.

"And?"

_Uhh..._

Selphie's face squinched up. She could feel her tongue wanting to stick out and stopped it. Feet whipped back and forth, scraping the floor as they went: _scrrp-bonk!-scrrp-bonk!_ Friends shouldn't be so _frustrating_: even teachers who were friends. "They... uhhm... we can give them away. To people we l-like. I'm not sure if that's for real or not? Not like the Heartless, I guess? And... and... I guess worlds have hearts. That's new. Uhm..."

"Why do you think the Heartless steal them?"

A snort tickled out. "Because they don't have any? They're called Heart-_less_, not Heart-_more_, or Heart-_full_, or Heart-_something_ else. It just sounds like something they'd do."

Her teacher finally took pity on her. Or maybe she lost patience. "Heartless are born from the darkness in hearts," she said, slowly. Each word felt carved out of blocks and fit between the others with precision. "Heartless are made of hearts."

She laughed. Selphie couldn't help it. And they must have been flying through a bigger cluster of stars because the room seemed brighter when she finally managed to stop. Or maybe she felt a little better, even if the face her teacher gave her was so... sad? "Sorry, Miss Nova, but-" she choked on a chuckle and hiccupped instead "-why would you call them Heartless? If they've got hearts- it's so silly -it doesn't make sense!"

Silence dropped. A few extra giggles fell apart; snapped in half. Selphie banged her heel into the chair again- _bonk!_ -uncertain.

"Hearts-" Nova caught her attention: the spear made a bigger wave before it stopped moving "-are one of three things that make a person: a heart, a body, and a soul. A body is the vessel, the soul is your life, and the heart is _you_."

"Emotions make a heart," she continued. "They fill the heart with light or darkness or something between and there are so many kinds that no one has cataloged all of them. So many feelings can change in so many different ways..." Her eyes stared somewhere else; flicked back. "A soul creates memories from those emotions: holds them, and stores them. It becomes a record of your existence, together inside your body with your heart." One of her hands pressed into her chest. "All of these together is what makes you a Somebody."

_Oh!_ Selphie remembered the Cat all of a sudden, and glared at the picture it made. _Why...? No. _She shook her head and switched to the other thoughts rambling around. "So, everybody has three pieces. And Heartless only want hearts." That made a weird sort of sense. "What happens to the rest of a Somebody? Without a heart?"

"They become a Nobody. Sometimes. You understand?"  
  
_Not really._ "But-" she bit her lip. A very black, very dark hole was opening up inside of her. The same hopeless feeling she'd had in Wonderland filled her throat. When the card had- "What happens to the heart?" She didn't want to know; _knew_, and didn't want- "What does a Heartless do with the heart?"

Light flickered across the room: a brighter star passed over the ship. Her teacher sat inside the shadows that followed, small and distant underneath the wide arc of sky. "Too much darkness inside a heart creates a Heartless," she whispered, finally. "Too many dark thoughts; emotions: fears, despair, hatred, the terrible things that people feel- all of those things can gather inside of a Somebody. If they're left alone, to build, and build, and build, a Heartless appears. Breaks free. Then it uses the rest of the heart- any other hearts it finds -those hearts, it... eats them to make more Heartless."

"What?" Another explosive _BONK!_ and Selphie stood up so fast her chair bounced backwards in crazy, wibbly arcs and would have crashed if it hadn't been stuck into the floor. She paced the few steps to the other side of the room, thought better of it, and switched back to the console. Her hair tickled the top of the bubble until she planted her hands with another _sproing!_ of protest from the gummi blocks. She couldn't help herself: she was shaking. Her lip stuck out, chewed numb. "They're not coming back. They're... Heartless now? Everyone-" _Kairi... Wakka and Tidus... Riku... _"-Zell..."

She hadn't wanted to think about it. Hadn't thought about it at all. Hadn't wanted to.

"I don't know. But if they are- they could come back." Something plugged the hole inside of her before it opened up completely. "They'll come back."

Selphie spun around. "_How?_" She knew before she finished asking: "A Keyblade. You can get them back. The hearts. If you hit them with a- a Keyblade, right?"

The spear flickered: "Yes."

That was enough. "How do we get one?" Selphie balled her hands into fists. "I need one to save everyone, right? How do I get one?"

"I don't know."

"How did Sora get one?"

"I don't know."  
  
"Did you ever have one?"

There was a hitch of breath: a little, restless tug of air. "I used to know... other people-" the spear twitched in Nova's hands "-but that was a long time ago. And, honestly, my friends were always better at it than I could ever hope to be."

Selphie flopped back into her seat with a great _whoosh_ of effort. "That's not fair," she said. After a moment more of silence, she peeked up from her toes and said, in a small voice: "Did you ever feel left out? Like... I don't know, like you're all there and you're together with your friends, but you still get... left behind?"

Like someone- three someones -had built a raft to sail away without you. Even if you'd go- _you'd go_ -if only you'd been asked.

But that wasn't fair to say at all. They were _gone_. Her friends were all gone and it wasn't their fault.

_They would have left anyway_.

Selphie scrubbed her cheeks until they burned. Sora wasn't gone... somehow. But, they couldn't catch up with him: she hadn't even _seen_ him. He was somewhere out there trying to save their friends- because of course he was, it was _Sora_ -and he could help them, but _she_ couldn't.

She had to get better on her own. She had to catch up.

"Teach me magic," Selphie blurted out.

The spear stopped twisting around. Surprised. "Why?"

"Please. I want to get stronger. I want to help."

"Selphie, sometimes getting stronger still doesn't mean you can help."

"Yeah, but if we're fighting a lot of Heartless, it matters." Even if nothing she did mattered, something had to. Even if she didn't have a Keyblade, she had to _try_. "I could've got that big stupid plant one. Maybe. You did." Selphie looked up from the floor; felt her face scrunch up like it wanted to cry. "Can't you teach me something, Miss Nova?" she pleaded.

A sigh puffed out. "There are things that... my heart can't do any more."

Selphie guessed before she meant to. "Things like finding Sora?"

Nova looked away abruptly. She stared out the window, jaw tightening. The space between them became quieter, and quieter: cold and uncomfortable. Stillness held its breath. A hand darted to her chest; squeezed into a fist. Finally, she said: "Yes."

"Oh." Selphie swallowed. She felt awful asking. She couldn't stop. "Is it broken? Can't you fix it?"

"Can I?" Nova tipped her head towards the ceiling. There wasn't a smile on her face, just a thin line of something else that made the room even more frigid. "No," she said. "I've tried. Before. Others- huh..." a noise like a cough barked off of the gummi blocks. She pinched her nose, sighed, and stood, abruptly. "It is what it is. I can't find my son. I can't teach you magic."

That sounded like giving up. Selphie didn't like it: "Why not?"

"For one, magic takes a... strong heart."

"But- you're so _strong_. And I saw you. You have magic."

"Thank the Cat." Nova shrugged in a terse, jerking kind of motion. "I haven't been able to since before Sora was born." The spear swung around; down. "Why do you want magic?"

"I wanna- I want to _help_. I couldn't do anything to hit that stupid big plant Heartless and I couldn't stop cards from getting their hearts stolen, and I couldn't save anyone- I couldn't save Zell, and I-" Selphie felt her voice speed up: angry, sad, frantic- if her teacher wasn't able to, how could _she_\- "I don't want the Heartless to... to eat someone again. Never, never, _never_."

"You can't stop all Heartless."

"But I have to try!" She suddenly felt very small and very silly. Her eyes were dripping and she didn't want them to, but couldn't help it. When Nova suddenly bent over her- it wasn't her fault, she couldn't stand without hitting her head on the ceiling -Selphie sniffled up at the dark, blurry, wet shadow above her and cried: "We have to try _something_! Shouldn't we _try_?"

Her teacher kneeled in front of the chair and leaned forwards until they were a nose apart. Calm grey eyes full of clouds stared through her until she blinked and couldn't stand it; Selphie looked somewhere over a shoulder instead, outside the dark frame of gummi blocks, into the deep, speckly, glittery space beyond.

A brief, gentle touch prodded her hands where they gripped the side of the chair. Nova withdrew, and said: "We should try. _You_ should try. You have an open heart. I can't teach you magic, but you could learn other things. See if you can find us somewhere to land."

"Why?" Selphie wiped her snotty face with her sleeve and felt gross. "Where?"

"Find a place out of the way with a good amount of space and I'll teach you how to use-" here a weary whistle of effort "-your heart." Her voice steadied; firmed. "I'll teach you how to fight."

"What?" Something fierce welled up inside of her. Selphie pumped her fist. "You will?"

Nova retreated to her chair, balanced her spear on her lap, and said: "If your heart is strong enough."

"It is. I am! You just wait!"

"I'll do more than that."

Her words sounded like a warning. Selphie didn't care; she pressed forward in her chair. "Promise?"

One short, sharp nod followed. "Yes."

"Oh, yeah!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure I agree that Sora, Riku, and Kairi kept their other friends in the dark about their big plan. That's the interpretation from the novel, which is, admittedly, better than being treated as set dressing and battle practice, but still seems off-character (for at least two out of the three).
> 
> I went with it because it made for interesting character development. Let's all see where it goes! 
> 
> Side Note: Tags have been updated as I have developed a better understanding of appropriate classifications. And please note, I will respond to comments occasionally, but it'll usually be the next update before I see last week's. I can't read comments while drafting the next section (sorry about that) but I wanted to say that I do appreciate the heck out of everyone reading and taking the time to drop a kudos or say something about my fic. For that and for everything else I'm too tired to think of right now- thank you!
> 
>   
Second Side Note: One important point I should mention before we move on is that all events of the games will be as canon-compliant as I can make them, but magic will be... iffy, and **not**. Kingdom Hearts has a rather loose interpretation of how magic works in-universe (it's a soft magic system and very _squishy_), so there's lots of threads to pull on. 
> 
> I don't intend to shy away from using magic as it exists and as it has been explained in universe. That said, please note that my explanations _will_ develop into something different.
> 
> It's impossible not to, really. There are scenarios steeped inside this magic system that have yet to come up in any of the games and Filtered Light is, indeed, based on one of those. I had a question that has never been answered, to my knowledge, and it was intriguing to my writer-in-training brain. 
> 
> I don't expect everything to fit with the rest of the canon by the end of this fic, and I would like y'all to know that before we get in too deep. I would be pleasantly surprised if most of the changes work out somehow, going forward in the series, but I don't expect it to. Fair warning.


	16. Another Side, The Other Story I

"Hiya, Sora. Do ya like the view?"

A large, gangly dog with a green shirt, black vest, and bright yellow pants rolled and buttoned up at the cuff hovered near the window. Goggles flopped around an even floppier hat; his eyes crinkled with good humor. "I guess ya do," he continued, dropping down next to his friend. "You've been sittin' over here for a while now."

"Hey, Goofy." Sora rubbed at his cheeks: they'd gotten flattened and cold. He'd been trying to look at everything at once but, no matter which way their ship turned, he could never quite see the most interesting thing outside. There was too much to take in. For one, the Other Sky was littered with more gummi blocks of all sorts of sizes and colors, glommed together to make a cheerful, distracting obstacle course peppered with starlight and random meteors. For another-

"Wak! Heartless- get out of the way!" Their ship rolled sharp to the right; everyone flattened and grabbed for handholds while their pilot tugged the control stick in a complex zig-zag and slapped a button.

A shot of light burst off to their left: Sora cheered. "You got one!"

"Too many to go," Goofy summoned his knight's shield and cowered underneath it.

"Where are they all coming from?" An immense scowl twisted their friend's beak into a sour frown. Donald Duck gripped the steering tight between his feathers; the zipper on his blue hat twinkled as it spun crazy circles inside the well-lit cockpit. "Why are the Heartless out here?" he complained.

"Probably looking for more worlds ta get into."

"Hey, Donald," Sora had scooted closer to the pilot's seat. Spiky brown hair quivered; his hands twitched. He really, _really_ wanted to do something. "Can I fly?"

"No."

"Aww. Why not?"

"It's harder than it looks, Sora," Goofy supplied, chuckling.

"Yeah!" the royal magician turned the full weight of his glare around. "You don't know how."

_Not fair_. Sora stuck out his tongue. "I can't learn how if you won't let me try. C'mon, please?"

They dove suddenly: giant knots looped through the sky and twisted their stomachs. Sora startled; lost his grip on the chair. He glimpsed the new threat for a second- a new stack of large meteors careened through the sky around them -before he lost his balance and bowled over backwards. Then he slid straight towards the wall and would have slammed into it if a sturdy arm hadn't caught him first. "Whoah there, a-hyuck." Goofy grinned down. His shield rattled against the wall. "Ya know, we should probably strap in."

There were enough chairs for all of them; Sora had been too distracted by the view to use one. Now he was too excited. He jumped upright and pointed out the window again. "Whoa, there's another world!"

A blobby, blue-ish, weird little sphere whizzed by. Worlds popped out from behind the clutter every once in a while, each one different and interesting. This one had some kind of sailing ship on top- something big with... wings? He couldn't tell: they'd already passed it. "C'mon Donald, we could've stopped."

"We're not stopping! We gotta find the King."

"Hey, uh, how're we gonna find the King if we don't stop at a world to look for 'im?" Goofy scratched his head. He had a good point.

"We need to find the _right_ world."

Sora blinked. "How do you know it's right?"

"I just do."

"Okaaay..." that didn't make sense. Now Sora frowned at his friend. "What if we miss something?"

"We're not going to." The royal magician refused to budge.

"But-" they hadn't gone anywhere since Wonderland. "How do you know?"

"I just do!"

"Hmph."

The ship abruptly leveled off; they slid into a steady push forwards, drifting through a quieter patch of sky. Donald peeled his fingers off of the controls one by one and shook them, eyes roving restlessly around. Goofy pushed himself off of the floor with an _oof!_ and ambled over to the corner again. His shield vanished with a mist of sparkles as he stowed it out of sight. "You could probably see more from a seat," he suggested, gently. The entire cockpit was covered with a transparent bubble: it was spacious, cheery, well-lit and very easy to see any direction at once.

"I guess." Sora didn't turn, hands back on the cold window. There was something about their last stop he'd almost forgotten. And now that he'd remembered Wonderland, it wiggled out of reach like those stubborn fish he'd tried to catch. Back on the Destiny Islands, before all of the crazy things had happened, Kairi had sent him out for food. They'd stocked the raft with supplies, got it ready to sail the very next morning, and then... "Oh."

Goofy knelt down next to him at once. "Gee, Sora. What's wrong?"

"Oh. Um..." he took a breath. "I guess... did you see anything weird back there? In Wonderland?"

His friend tilted his head to the side; long floppy ears perked up. "Hmmm... well, the Heartless, sure."

"Anything else?"

"That darn Cheshire Cat," Donald made a noise behind them. He hadn't liked it. Not after the creature had sent them running all around the world in circles looking for clues.

To be fair, the Queen of Hearts had been Wonderland's real problem. A very nice girl named Alice had been accused of trying to steal hearts in a sham trial, and the Queen hadn't liked any of the evidence Sora and his friends had brought in to prove her innocence. It had really been the Heartless, of course. And then, when Alice vanished right out of her cage, everyone had gone on another merry hunt trying to find her. It was bad luck they'd found the big, loopy, see-sawing, mallet-whacking Heartless instead.

Or good luck. They'd found the Keyhole, too.

"I'm thinkin' that Cat was normal for the place, so, there's nothing else weird that I can think of." Goofy tilted his hat back and scratched underneath, still thinking. "I mean, we sure didn't find Alice, but the Cheshire Cat said she wasn't on that there world any more, anyway. Did ya catch somethin' I didn't?"

Sora looked down. His hands clenched into fists. He wasn't really sure, but- "I thought I saw my Mom," he admitted. "In the big room. With that huge Heartless we fought."

"You saw what?" Donald made a _wak_ of surprise and bounced in his seat. He exchanged glances with Goofy; both of them turned to the boy. "I didn't see anything."

"Neither did I." The lanky knight chuckled. "'course, I don't know what your Mom looks like, but I bet she looks a lot like you, Sora. I'd know her if I'd seen her."

"You would. I'm sure you would." It had been in the middle of the fight, and only for a second- she'd vanished by the time he'd looked back. Then he'd forgotten as soon as the Heartless had slapped at him again. "So... I guess I didn't." Sora smiled with embarrassment; he didn't know what to think. "Kinda weird, huh?"

"That's not weird at all. I bet you miss her."

"And the rest of your family." Donald waddled over. His frown had lifted, replaced with a look of sympathy. He reached out and patted Sora's shoulder. "And your friends."

"Riku. And Kairi. Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka. Everybody on the island. I miss them all. But my Mom, I-" he rubbed the back of his head. "I was supposed to tell her. Before I left. Me an' Riku and Kairi, we'd built this raft to take out onto the ocean. We wanted to go out exploring- see other worlds. I kept trying to tell my Mom about it, but I just... couldn't. It was like..."

They waited for more. Sora shrugged, out of words. He didn't know what he meant to say. Riku hadn't wanted them to tell anybody while they'd worked on their escape; he'd wanted them ready to go before anyone found out, just in case someone had tried to stop them. Sora hadn't thought it would matter, and he'd said so. Promise or no promise, he'd meant to tell his Mom about it.

But then he'd forgotten to say something anyway, over and over again. Sure, he'd had a lot of other things to tell her about, but he'd had a lot of time to try. Why hadn't he?

Goofy rescued him. "Were ya maybe afraid she wouldn't understand?" his friend asked.

"I... yeah. I guess." Sora stared at his shoes, forlorn. He loved his Mom: he knew that. But- "I wanted to see other worlds so much. I didn't know what to say. I was supposed to, but I-" his shoulders drooped "-I didn't. And now I don't know what to do."

Now he _couldn't_ say anything. The Destiny Islands had vanished; everyone else had vanished with it. He knew two of his friends were out there somewhere- somehow, he _knew_ that -but the rest of his friends... his Mom...

Two big, fat tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. Sora sniffled.

"_Wak! _No, no, no! You can't cry on the Gummi ship- think happy thoughts! Smile!" Donald was shaking him suddenly, in a panic. "This ship runs on happy faces!"

Their fuel gauge was nowhere near empty; Sora scowled at him.

Goofy stepped in. "Hang on there, Donald," he said. "It won't hurt the ship to get a little sad in it every once in a while. It's like us- sometimes, we just need to feel things, right?" He turned a gentle grin over to his other friend. "Ya know, I'd say that it's important to find everybody first. Can't talk to your Mom about anything without her being around, right?"

Sora wiped his face; nodded. "But- where do I find her?"

"Hmm... well now, people from lost worlds are gettin' dropped off in Traverse Town, right?"

"I didn't see anyone from my islands."

"That's true. But I'd bet you'd say you know Riku and Kairi are out there somewhere-" he waited for Sora's nod "- and we just haven't found 'em yet, so maybe it just takes folks a little time to get there. Or maybe they're out there on another world explorin' all around just like you all wanted to do, huh?" Goofy hummed to himself. "We should keep looking."

"Yeah... yeah! You're right." Sora pumped his fist. He felt much better now. "And we've gotta lock the worlds to keep the Heartless out."

"And we gotta find the King," Donald interjected.

"We gotta find _everybody_."

"Yeah, yeah," the magician grumbled at his friend, but smiled anyway. He bounced back over to the pilot's seat. "Let's get moving."

Sora followed him. Eager for an opening. "Hey, Donald. Can I try now?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"It's complicated!"

"Flying can't be _that_ hard."

"How would _you_ know?"

"I'd know if you'd let me _try_-"

"Ya know, I think we should just get moving," Goofy pointed out the window.

More Heartless had appeared: big gummi ships zeroed in from all sides, moving fast.

"Oh, no," Donald snatched at the steering-

Too slow.

"I got this!" Sora shouted. He'd managed to edge into the seat: both hands were firmly planted on the control stick.

"Uh-oh." Goofy muttered; he buckled himself in behind them.

Donald made a _wak_ of dismay and a grab for support. "Wait!"

"Here we go!"

"You can't do tha-aaaa-ahhhh!"

Three friends lurched forwards once, then fell back screaming as the ship took off with a jolt and a zoom: blasting off even further into the Other Sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KING's FOOLS!
> 
> Jiminy was below-deck during this scene. #neverforget
> 
> And with that, it's time for a break. Whew! Been a rough month in more ways than one. @~@
> 
> Updates will resume the first Sunday in May. We're off to another new world- hope you're as excited as I am!
> 
> Stay healthy, everyone!


	17. The Empire of the Sun: Part I

_ Long ago, somewhere deep in the jungle.._. 

...night draped over a hollowed out hole right in the thick of things. It was a tiny encampment only two spaces from the road and a world away from any marked path. Dense, unreasonable plants crowded in from every direction, carving quiet dreams out of grey leaves and thick vines. It was peaceful. Serene. 

Aggravating. 

"AH-CHOO!"

Shadows shivered loose; the moon brightened. Big fistfuls of foliage fluttered down with the fatal noise, rocked into oblivion. A posh purple tent staked in the center of the wreckage thwacked its soft material into a sneering snit. "Would you be quiet!" it howled. Ill-humored wind flapped open the front. "I'm trying to sleep!" 

"You got it." A hefty man with a dainty handkerchief wiped his nose and tucked the used square inside the pocket of his pajamas. Then he closed his eyes and settled back on the ground outside, wiggling a little further under his own, smaller tent. The cover crept up his waist even as his knees popped out: there wasn't much material to spare. But he didn't mind. It was warm and humid and nothing beat the fun of camping. A smile twitched to life as he drifted off again.

So peaceful.

So-

"Wow. She shore don't keep up with a good beneficiary package, that boss o' yours." A disgruntled voice muttered from the woods around them.

The man wriggled his nose. Those silly leaves did like to tickle. "Tell me about it," he said, words slipping out between snores. Mostly intelligible.

"Saaay." Dense undergrowth vibrated. A massive, rotund cat slipped out and tramped to a stop right next to the man. Beefy jowls rattled with a hard chuckle. "Shore ya don't want a change o' scenery, pally?"

"Oh, I'm _snerk!_ all right. Nothing a good night's _a-humph!_ sleep won't cure."

"Welp. Then I got bad news for ya. Not much of that goin' round tonight." The cat turned towards the big tent and bellowed: "YZMA! Rise an' shinin' time!"

"WHAT?! How dare you- Kronk!" A loud crash! rattled the tent down to its stakes. "KRONK!"

"How'da whoz'da wha?" The man jolted upright again. He blinked out of order at the blue overalls in front of him, then followed a large zipper up through a red shirt covered in crossed chest straps and fitted shoulder armor, straight through to the hulking head on top. He grinned with good humor. "Oh. Heya there, Pete. Nice to see you again."

The large cat smirked.

Within seconds a tall, skeletal woman emerged from the purple tent in high temper. A lavender shift hung around her frame at sharp angles as she stomped right into her tormentor's territory and hissed: "This had _better_ be good."

Green gunk glooped and stank on her pale face; Kronk made a noise and recoiled. Pete shied backwards holding his round black nose, small pointed ears flat against his skull. "Peeeeyew! Yech! What's that stuff on ya's?"

"_Beauty_ cream." Two cucumber slices flopped out of Yzma's eye sockets. She let them splatter onto the ground. Hard pupils narrowed after their reveal. "Not that _you_ would understand." She collected her narrow mouth into a sneer. "Explain yourself."

"Well, thought I'd re-make our acquaintance, see?"

"In the middle of the _night_?"

"Well, I was gonna do it at the palace, but you'd already skedaddled out'a there before I had the chance." Pete stroked the underside of his oversized chin. "Heard yer Emperor's gone an' kicked the bucket, and I wanted ta' be the first ta' offer my condolences."

"Aw. That's real nice of you, buddy." Kronk seemed genuinely moved. He squeezed his teddy bear and wiped away a tear. "It was just... so sudden. At dinner. You know, he didn't even get to try the spinach puffs."

"Who said anything about anything to _you_?" Yzma made a pointed effort to focus.

Pete's grin curled up a fraction."Well, I mean it's all ever-body's talkin' about. Not like I have a way ta watch the spectacle without participatin'."

"Of course." Her voice dripped sarcasm. "And I suppose you're out here to look after us out of the _goodness_ of your heart."

"Whoa-ho-hey now. That's all a nice guy like me ever does." His voice dripped sincerity before it lowered to sly, imitated confidence. "But uh, since I'm already here, I just gotta ask: what _did_ happen to that skinny Emperor o' yours?"

The man on the ground brightened. "Oh, he's a llama."

"A wha?"

"Kro-onk." Yzma set her teeth in a painful _screech!_

Her henchman continued, oblivious. "You wouldn't have seen him by any chance? We, uh, lost him."

"_We_?"

"And like Yzma says, we gotta finish the job. You know-" Kronk drew a finger across his throat, then stuck out his tongue and pulled the invisible rope attached to his neck until his mouth flopped. A couple of gagging noises rounded out the impression; Yzma slapped her face with her palm.

"Wha?" Pete scratched his head at the impossibly easy charade. Then he chuckled. "Hehe heh. Got away from you, did he?"

"As if you weren't aware." Yzma glared at him through narrow slits.

Another fit of laughter bubbled to life. "Weh-heh-ell now, seeing as how you might be needin' our help, isn't it a lucky thing I dropped by to see yahs?"

"Hmph." She sniffed and made an imperious gesture with her hand. Green goop _squinched_ between her fingers, ruining the moment. "We have no need of you or your Heartless," she said.

"But that llama could be just about anywheres on this here world. You sure you'd know where'bouts to find it all by yerself?"

"Those mindless brutes are no more use to me than Kronk." Yzma slid her gaze to the side. "I have enough trouble to manage when _simple_ instructions are too hard to follow."

"Oof... yeah. I kinda screwed up back there...but you don't have to keep bringing it up," Kronk pouted. That hurt: he wasn't responsible for the potion labels that hadn't been checked in weeks. Llamas happened.

Of course, when he'd next tried dropping their knocked-out-but-very-much-alive problem off a very steep waterfall, _that_ should have fixed everything. But it wasn't as easy as he'd thought to ignore his shoulder angel.

And then he'd lost the bag with the emperor-llama in it.

Kronk hunched in misery over his teddy bear and whimpered. Tiny paws waved in and out while he poked at it, pleading for hugs. He obliged. "I said I was sorry."

Pete's belly bounced. "Ehehe... well that won't be a problem if yah just reach inta your genu-eine darkness and use that to control 'em direct, now won't it?"

"Ah, yes. Put myself in considerable danger of losing my own heart for the sake of finding one stupid llama. Bah! Go away. I'll find him on my own." Yzma stomped back to her tent and kicked at her henchman as she went. "_You_," she snapped. "Make sure he leaves. I need my beauty sleep."

The door flap _whapped_ closed with excellent punctuation. Kronk cringed behind his bear. "Ahhh... sorry about that buddy, but, you know how she gets-"

"NOW!" The tent heaved to one side violently.

"Just a sec, Yzma, he's leaving!" Weak shooing motions followed. "So, yeah, just move along there, pal. Uh. Sorry about that."

Their visitor made a disgruntled noise. Then he smiled, two large, flat teeth prominently sticking up from his lower jaw. "Don't you worry about me, Kronky-boy. Be sure ta' say somethin' if ya change yer mind- it won't take long before you'll be needing ol' Pete." He waved them off and tromped back into the jungle; evil chuckles diminished rapidly as a soft _whooshing_ noise vanished with him into the dark.

Kronk peered after their visitor for a long moment before a huge yawn cracked his efforts in half. That settled, he dropped back onto the ground and smiled at the teddy bear still tucked firmly into the crook of his arm. "You know," he said, "that guy's got a real great sense of humor. Maybe next time we should invite him to stay for a while. Have some coffee; I'll make dessert. It'll be great."

The tent stifled a sarcastic laugh. "Hardly," it muttered under its breath.

__________________________________________________________________________

_Long ago, somewhere deep in the jungle..._

_ ...somewhere else..._

...plants crowded in close to the side of a towering cliff. Smooth rock crept out from underneath to curve up into a precipice and round off a natural fall. Both halves of nature fought for control on the narrow, empty ledge, shuffled close together at many other points, trading rights to hover in picturesque relief over a sheer drop into the river far, far below.

A dark portal whispered to life on top of the little knob of stone. A tall woman in concealing black robes walked out of writhing shadows. She ignored the beautiful, harrowing view, steps firm and measured. As the hole closed behind her, she paused, a mere breath from the edge. The heel of her staff touched the ground, and long fingers with sharp, delicate nails caressed the clear green pommel stone at the top. Two curved horns flowed up from her temples and framed wide scorn as it bent towards the thick woven forest in front of her.

She waited; still.

After a moment, another oval curtain of shadows thrashed open. Pete tromped out, rubbing his head and scowling. "I tell you what, Maleficent, that old crone ain't gonna bite." He jerked a thumb backwards as the dark portal disintegrated. "Thinks she can solve all her problems without us. Mighty inconsiderate, if you ask me."

"No one asked you anything you inconsequential dolt," the tall woman spared no contempt. Her eyes squeezed tighter in distaste. "There is plenty of work to be done on this world without her. Or had you forgotten?"

"Ngh." Pete flinched. Round metal knuckles flashed in the moonlight: pacifying. "No, but... y'know I was just figurin' she'd make a mean Heartless, all's considerin'."

"Yzma herself has not enough darkness to create anything of use to me," Maleficent tapped her staff on the rock. "And that poor excuse for an 'emperor' had even less: a surprise, considering his selfish ways." She raised a hand to her chin, considering. "I am certain no significant light resides on this world, or there would be some greater measure of natural darkness present."

"So... uh... does that mean you don't want it?"

"Of course I want it, you fool!" Irritation snapped words into whips. Everything in range cowered backwards from her. "The Heartless will consume this world and every wretched heart inside it soon enough. _You_ will use them to create an army worthy of my rule. Even the smallest darkness may prove useful to me in sufficient numbers."

Pete scratched the back of his head. "Well, all right. I s'pose. You shore you don't want me ta find somethin' a little bigger?"

"Make your attempts if you wish. I have much to attend to on my own recognizance," she said. Something in her face went sour. "There is a new Keybearer out wandering the worlds."

"Whoah..." _That_ was news: the big cat shuffled from foot to foot, uncomfortable. "Some hotshot with a Keyblade, eh?" He grimaced. "I thought that there puny King was the last of 'em."

"Apparently not. But what does it matter? That young fool and the rest of the King's fools with him shall not disrupt my plans. I will have the rest of the Princesses soon enough." Her smile spread wide and thin. "They have already aided me once, unknowing. That girl Alice in Wonderland was the fifth. Now only two remain. The power to rule all worlds is close at hand."

"Ooo yeah! I can already smell the vic-tree."

"A stench all the more improbable with you standing around like a miserable buffoon. Our allies are powerful: I will not be left open to treachery from within." Another portal unfolded at a silent decree; Maleficent swept towards it with an expansive turn of her cloak. Ragged edges fluttered like bat wings. "You will gather that army for me, Pete," she commanded. "Quickly."

"Yes sir, Maleficent. I won't let you down."

"Hmph." Scorn raked over her companion; a parting shot skimmed through and hammered home as the portal lashed shut: "Do _not_ fail me."

Pete nodded quickly. "You can count on me, Malefi-"

"-cent." Too late.

With no one to hear, Pete growled, leaned towards the empty air and said, "Don't you worry 'bout a thing. I got this part all taken care of."

That settled that: he grunted in satisfaction and began to pace. The quiet night quickly filled with more muttering. "Now, lessee here... the Heartless'll find the keyhole. They'll get inside the world and eat the heart. So's all I gots ta do is gather up all the Heartless that comes outta all that darkness."

Something in his eyes brightened, even as the frown turned into a sinister smile. "I'm sure I can find a couple a' bigger ones while I'm at it." Considerably cheered by the idea, Pete nodded in affable agreement with himself. "We gots ta' make a good impression."

"And Yzma'll make a bigger Heartless than she looks, too. Just needs a little incentivizing." Huge hands rubbed together with glee. "Ehe-heh-heh... shouldn't be hard at all."

Pete chuckled and snapped his fingers. Then he ran, off to victory, while another dark portal whirled to nothing in his wake.

__________________________________________________________________________

_Long ago, somewhere deep in the jungle..._

...somewhere nearby-

"WA-CHOO!"

A bush rattled. Someone stumbled out of it moments later, covered head to toe in a black coat, cowl drawn tight around their face. They stopped right before the sheer drop with a flailing _gasp!_ then sniffled and rocked around in agitated circles, spinning towards both vanished portals and appearing undecided on either direction.

Eventually, the figure stopped. They patted the front of their coat, found a pocket, and pulled out a scrap of paper. Tilting their head away from the message, faint words finally appeared in a sliver of bright moonlight. "Follow the subjects and make note of their activities," they read out loud.

A cowl whipped back and forth again. The figure dropped the card, shoulders slumping. "But what if they go in _different_ directions?" their voice whined. "Am I supposed to guess?"

They seemed to consider this for a long moment. Then all at once they waved both arms back and forth with a quick, breezy chant: "Eeeney, meeney, miiney..." a full spin and a flourish and "...moe!" Hands opened wide and waggled at the jungle. "Ta-daa!"

Another portal curled the air into a hole of shadows. With a sigh of long troubles and finite patience, the figure toddled inside. "Don't blame me if I get the wrong one," they muttered, even as swirls of darkness licked closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey. New chapter time- welcome back! 
> 
> Some familiar faces wandering around now. =~-^=
> 
> Side Note: For anyone wondering, the name of this world comes from one of the original production titles for _The Emperor's New Groove_


	18. The Empire of the Sun: Part II

Glowing yellow eyes stared at her. They peeked out from _everywhere_ it seemed, packed unblinking in dozens of shadows hidden behind layers and layers of leaves. Sticks rattled in bone-thin waves, _clicking_ forwards with each pair of dim fairy lights that flicked out and around large thickets of green.

They were getting closer.

It felt familiar: a Heartless kind of awful, but... Selphie squeezed her braided jump rope by the middle. The hard, wooden ends swung from a little lead on the side of each hand, back and forth. She stood on another new world full of sprawling jungles and steep mountains. A narrow dirt road ran underneath her toes before it broke through the edge of the tiny clearing and vanished into a narrow split in the massive rock behind her. Fortunately, the path dropped into a zig-zag down to a sweeping, grassy valley far, far below. There was plenty of space. She could run.

_They're not getting away._

Sunlight gleamed warm on her head. _Click-clack_ noises shuffled closer.

She could do it.

Alone.

_You got this_.

Selphie took a deep breath.

Vines ripped to her right. Part of the jungle exploded out in a hail of leaves. Pincers barreled down at her from above-

_Above?_

She squeaked in stupid surprise and swatted away at the first Heartless attack.

_Aw, man_.

Her fists moved faster, twin arcs of spinning menace. The Heartless bumbled to the ground and skittered to her left, narrowly avoiding a hit. It looked like an ant, with six legs and a round segmented body. Quivering black antennae swiveled around on its head; pincers snapped out of its mouth. It was menacing, and very... cute?

_C'mon. You got this!_

The familiar Heartless symbol flashed under its belly: it lunged at her again.

Selphie stepped backwards, more sure this time, and slapped at the ant with her weapon. Its armor wasn't as hard as that stupid big Wonderland Heartless' had been. The flailing hard edge of a wooden handle cracked the side. She felt it catch on a ragged edge and pulled, hard, tearing it free even as the other handle thrashed the weak spot with a heavy _whack!_

The Heartless popped at once and vanished. A wispy outline of a bright red heart quickly faded into a puff of black smoke. 

She reached after it with a cry.

"RUN FORWARD AND TURN AROUND!"

The voice cracked through her; Selphie stumbled over her legs and hopped to recover. Then she spun into a quick about-face. "I know, I know!" she yelled.

A wave of Heartless loomed at her.

_Eek._ Selphie yelped and flinched away; mandibles snipped close to her face. She skip-dodged to the side and watched the ants swarm towards her again. _Okay_, she counted them again._ Two more._ Not a swarm.

_You got this!_

Thin stick legs beat quick time as the ant-Heartless tried to surround her; Selphie circled backwards, forcing them to follow in a line, her weapon flailing out like a whip. They were quicker than she expected.

She was quicker than _they_ expected.

Her jump rope spun and _thwacked_, spun and _thwacked_, over and over; finally, it caught on a leg. Selphie changed direction as the Heartless toppled forwards, and raced in for her advantage. The wooden handle in her other hand thumped hard into its skull.

It puffed into dust. She turned.

Her mistake.

_Another one?!_

Something punched into her back. Selphie flew out into the middle of the clearing and tumbled on the grass several times before she rolled to a stop near the edge of the jungle. Shock trapped her pain and her breath in pounding circles.

Ant-Heartless changed direction and scuttled after, slipping around in dizzy, jagged stutters as she tried to find them. It looked like two again- _four?_ Where had they all come from?

The jump rope had tangled around her arm; Selphie reached for it and felt slow. So slow.

Multiple shadows resolved into a pair of clicking, snapping enemies. They leaped.

_CRUNCH!_

Selphie flinched.

Waited.

Peeked out through her fingers.

The long black shaft of a spear wobbled above her, waving frantically from where it had embedded itself into a tree. Dust rained down from one missing Heartless. The second twitched and shied. Yellow eyes blurred: her last living enemy sprang forward.

Surprise found determined wrath; Selphie moved the arm with her weapon attached and raised it in a wide arc. More and more strength piled into her drive as she brought the end of her jump rope into a nice, hearty _thwack!_ on top of the remaining Heartless' head.

It bounced away. Stick legs raised up; clacked together-

-and very helpfully disintegrated.

"Ugh!" Selphie took one last look around the clearing, then flopped onto her back. Fuzzy ringing made space for throbbing pain: she could feel bruises starting on the parts of her spine pressed into the ground. Her pink backpack was leaning up against a far away rock. _Too far._ She made a noise, and gave up on a potion. It hadn't hurt _that_ bad.

The sky blooming above her chin was so very blue and full of fluffy white clouds. And behind that, the tall column of rough stone poked upwards like a hand waving out from the side of an even taller hill. Selphie tilted her head until she could see the upside-down blur of a red jacket towards the top of one fat finger and yelled: "I handled it. See?"

"You got most of them, yes," a distant voice called down. Nova descended fast, stepping lightly from one stone to another before a pair of sturdy black boots with yellow trim tapped the ground. She walked straight to the other side of the clearing without missing a step.

Selphie pushed herself to a seat and scowled. "C'mon, Miss Nova. I could've got all of them."

"Probably."

"I mean it."

"I'm sure you do." Nova grabbed the spear and heaved. It popped free with a grunt and a _twang!_ as the end thwacked back and forth. Muscles flexed as she gripped it tighter to control the sway; rolled sleeves lifted. "As it is," she said, even as ever, "my aim is off."

Selphie snorted. "You got that Heartless right here." She beat her chest with her fist.

"I was aiming for _both_ of them." Her weapon spun in the air; Nova drove it into the ground and pulled the end over to demonstrate. The spear flexed with a stiff bow, then whipped back and forth on the release with a snappy _whiff_ of air. "This thing is too light," she grumbled at it.

A smile crept up onto Selphie's face. "It came from a card soldier. They're pretty bendy."

"I'll need something else," Nova sighed and gestured to the side. "So will you," she said. "That jump rope doesn't have enough weight."

"I guess. I mean, it works all right."_ And Zell gave it to me... so..._

"You shouldn't need to swing it that hard to get results." Her teacher tilted her head, considering. "It's the strength of your heart that hurts a Heartless. The weapon matters, but-" she frowned at the wobbling spear "-you have to believe it will help you as much as you think. It's still only metal. Or wood. Or rope."

The ends trailed on the ground as Selphie untangled her weapon and pulled it in close. "I guess," she said. "But... it's fine."

"We can find something similar. You could use anything, with enough faith, but it's better to start with something easy to believe in." Nova shook herself; blinked at her. "What?"

Selphie ducked her head. "Nothing," she said.

"All right."

"Hn." Selphie looked down at her feet and toed a wavy pattern into the dirt with her thick sandals. Her bottom lip ran ragged between her teeth. She didn't care- she _didn't_ -but: "I could have got that Heartless, Miss Nova. I'm sure. You're-" words tumbled out so quick they tripped, while a hot blush crept up her cheeks "-you're just- you're _fast_," she said.

The spear flicked upright; another twirl brought the heel down with a _poff!_ of dust. "Selphie. I am _years_ ahead of you in practice," Nova said. "You've hardly had any training."

It was meant to be kind. She knew that. "We practiced. All of us did. A lot," Selphie muttered. Then her eyes snapped up. "It's just..." words peppered the inside of her head with one thing, and another, and _another_, until she finally spluttered out: "Do I have to be so far behind?"

Nova scratched across the back of her head, gently mussing the neat pleats of her hair. Her face pinched into some unreadable, messy mix of many feelings all at once before it settled into its usual bland expression. "You won't be for long," she said. "Using your heart makes it stronger."

"Okay, how long does it take?"

"That depends on you."

"Augh!" Selphie slumped over until she sat between her knees with her feet poking out to the side. "It doesn't make sense!" she wailed. "I mean, I've got a heart. Even the _Heartless_ have hearts. That's nothing special. But I can't _see_ my heart. How do I know when I could do-" she waved at the scarred tree and at her teacher in front of it "-all that?"

"Well. It's hard to say." Nova seemed surprised by the question. After a moment of quiet, she squatted down, spear dropped flat to the ground nearby. "Magic is an easy gauge because more strength of heart leads to stronger spells- yes," she ducked her head under the protest, even before Selphie finished spluttering, "I know it would be simpler, but that's a limitation I _can't_ help you with."

"So, there's no way to tell."

"A heart is a strange thing. Difficult to define. Measuring its strength is..." Movement quirked Nova's mouth; it could have been a grin, but Selphie didn't think so. Smiles were rare and impossible things. "Try looking for connections," she urged.

"Uhm..."

"You remember what I said about hearts? How they're made from emotions?"

"Ye-es." They'd talked about a lot of things in the gummi ship. Selphie didn't know if she believed all of it; she'd never heard most of it before, but, okay... _memories_... "Souls are memories," she said.

"Right. And after that, when I talked about how we visualize our hearts?" Nova shifted onto the balls of her feet, balanced with ease; one hand reached out to loosely clasp her other wrist. "Some people can visit inside of themselves and _see_ their own hearts," she said. "They appear as pictures made of stained glass."

_Sounds pretty._

"Your heart station is only the first layer of your heart, but it is an important one," the lessoning continued. "Some like to call it a _Station of Awakening_. It represents the... window to everything stored inside. This is where your hearts' power is contained. If there was a way to determine strength it might be somewhere in there, but you can't... you _can_ tell when one is broken or hurt, or..." her eyes shifted away; stared off somewhere else. Then she took a sharp breath and blew it out. "Without seeing what someone can do _with_ their strength, it's hard to judge what any one heart is truly capable of." 

"Oh." Selphie deflated. "So, there isn't any way to know how strong your heart is."

"I wouldn't say that." Nova freed one of her hands and started prodding at the dirt. Little circles followed her finger around: _poke-poke-poke_. "The other part of your heart that matters is how you _connect_." She drew a small heart inside the cloud of specks. Thinner lines followed: each small circle attached to the bigger symbol like tiny balloons. "Your heart by itself is like a pool of water. Or, that pond on the Play Island. Under the waterfall? It holds everything you pour into it. Have faith in yourself: it fills right up. That can be a great source of strength alone, but-" the entire picture was swirled into the center of one big circle "-having a _truly_ strong heart comes from believing in yourself _and_ from your connections with others. The people you cherish are like that waterfall. Your friends help fill your heart: they become your power."

Something painful caught in her throat. _But what if they're not there?_ Selphie rubbed her cheeks and tried not to remember the Play Island: the paopu and cocoyum trees on the white sand beach where they'd practiced fighting games; the treehouse its with stairs and platforms winding around and perfect for climbing; the old wooden shack next to the little pond of fresh water where they could clean off from swimming in the sea.

Her friends.

She didn't feel very powerful at all.

"But- if they're not around..." she whispered.

Nova closed her eyes briefly and smiled that not-smile again. "You still have them. Even if someone isn't close to you any more, you can feel those strong connections you've made. Or see them as stars, if you try."

"In the sky."

"And in your heart." Nova placed her palm across her chest. "They look like stars inside your heart."

"Oh. _Oh_!" Everything _clicked_ at once. Selphie felt her eyes open wide. "If we can see the connection in our hearts, we can find Sora!"

"_You_ can find Sora." Again, her face hurt to look at: a mixture of longing and love and something Selphie couldn't name, all mixed up and strained and fierce. Then, in a blink, it was gone."I can't show you how to use your heart," Nova said, "but I can tell you what it _should_ be like. That might be enough."

Excitement bubbled up. "Would I see your heart, too?"

An uncomfortable feeling sliced between them. It was like they'd taken a step back from each other, even if neither of them had moved at all: a measured cut in front of a gap that was already there. "Doubtful," Nova said, quietly. A loose shrug flowed into a brief stretching motion; she stood, spear flipped back up and at the ready. Her teacher flexed her arms, then reached down with an offer. "Come on. We should keep going."

"Aw. Why not?"

"I've told you."

_No you haven't_. She stuck her lip out in a pout. Curiosity needled at her; made her bounce in place. Did she _know_ anything about her teacher? Really?

She knew Sora. He was like an open book that babbled everything on its pages to anyone who'd listen. His mom... didn't. Weird she'd never noticed before.

Selphie stretched up for the hand. "But what if-"

_"EEEYA-YA-YA-YAUGH!"_

A shrill scream shattered the morning around them.

Her arm was suddenly clamped in a grip like a bite; Selphie flew so fast she felt a _crack!_ jolt from her heels to her spine as she landed straight on her feet. Nova vanished: the red jacket suddenly appeared at the other side of the clearing. Her teacher waved for attention.

_...how_?

Selphie stumbled into a run, pausing only to sling her pink backpack up from the ground before sliding towards the wall. Rocky bumps rattled loud in her teeth.

Her teacher seized her shoulder before Selphie crashed hard and pointed through the shattered stone, down across the road, towards the green valley. "What's that?" she asked.

The question sounded remarkably calm. Selphie stared down the line and immediately tensed up. Curled hair ends quivered. "Heartless," she hissed.

"Are you sure?" The hand tightened. "How do they feel?"

"How do they-" Selphie frowned at the boiling black mass beneath them. It looked as if some weird scratchy black line wiggled like a snake sideways; parts of the mess broke off and reformed in bits before and behind as it swept slowly across the field. More of the ant things, probably. Two smaller figures ran ahead of the danger, screaming their heads off. She jerked forwards. "How do _they_ feel? They're Heartless, obviously!"

"Stop." Nova almost lifted her off her feet. Selphie felt her sandals slide forwards, kicked off-balance.

She twisted; caught herself. Flattened her teacher with a wild look. "What-"

"Use your heart."

"My... waitasec, shouldn't we-?"

"Heartless don't always look the way you _think_."

"Of course they don't." _They look like plants, and weird little wizards, and shadows, and... huh._ "They all have yellow eyes," she said.

"Yes. And?"

"And what?"

"You don't always get to see them first." Nova's fist curled tight around her spear. The other clamped fast to her shoulder. "How did you know that Heartless was attacking you? The first one that jumped you a few minutes ago. How did you know it was there?"

"Uh." It felt like hours since the ambush. "I don't know."

"Try." Whoever was down there fleeing made her wince with sympathy. Nova had no pity. "What does your heart say they are? What do you _feel_ when you see them?"

"My heart..." was screaming _now now now now_, each word punched louder and louder with every wild beat. Selphie took a deep breath. Her fingers seized the front of her shirt. Wasn't that enough?

She glared down at the squirming line. Tiny creatures shifted back and forth. Blurred into small segments of darkness. "They're-"

More slices wove in and out of light. Wavered. "-like... our island, but the sun is gone. Like..."

A creeping sense of dread hit her. Her heart _squeezed_; stuttered. She felt the... blot of them, suddenly, as if some hole had plastered itself across her field of vision. Not cold, but chilled. Musty. _Deep_. "Like something covered the light," she whispered.

It was small, but there: it was there. And the sensation would only grow the closer they got, she knew. Somehow.

"Good. Very good." Nova patted her and withdrew: a grim coil, ready to spring. "You need to sense where they are before they strike. It will help you in the fight." A steely eye measured her. "Can you keep up?"

_I just have to believe in myself... right?_ Selphie wondered. Then she grinned with all of her teeth. "Yes."

Weapons drawn, they pelted down the steep slope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Selphie's stubborn. She'll get it out of her eventually.
> 
> Side Note: Still updating tags. 
> 
> Oh, and fun fact: this chapter was originally the first for this section. But it didn't feel right _not_ to start with "Long ago, somewhere deep in the jungle..." and I had to move it around.  
Then, I read everything over again and shredded it into word ribbons to feed through an editorial wood chipper. You are reading the reconstructed remains.  
  
  
_IT'S ALIVE!_  
  
_IT'S ALIVE!_
> 
> *HISSES*
> 
>   
Strange... probably? This is how I write everything, so, RIP chapter buffer. You will be missed.


	19. The Empire of the Sun: Part III

Impact slammed into the Heartless like a tidal wave.

Ants flew everywhere, distress shrieked to the sky as stick legs boiled up and whistled away. A cloud _poffed!_ after them, rolling darkness into dust with the rumbling remains of a deafening _crack!_

Selphie watched the effect in awe, half-hidden behind a small outcrop of grass on the sloping plain. Nova had launched herself from there, aiming for the back of the line. "I'll do more damage where they won't notice me," she'd muttered, before ejecting from the ground with enough force to form a half-circle ridge in the grass around them; Selphie hadn't fallen over, but she'd gotten close.

_Wow_.

The front of the line skittered forwards, reduced but still a sizeable swarm. She readied her jump rope, ears ringing, nerves tingling all the way down to the twitching ends of her hair. If she concentrated, it felt like a frothing sea of darkness bubbled towards her, with two little slivers of light bobbing in front of it. One of them was much brighter than the other: Selphie opened her eyes and tried to focus on it.

_They're not getting away._

She took a deep breath. Her own little patch of grass _whuffed_ flat as she raced to intercept.

"AHAHAHAAAAAAAA- I'm too important to DIE-HIE-HIE!" A screaming sob fired energy into her feet. Two figures appeared at once: a heavy-set man wearing a green poncho, and a red llama. They ran so fast their legs blurred; Selphie gaped as they passed her, startled.

_Was that the llama-?_

Her heels dug in: Selphie stuttered to a stop. Ant-Heartless thundered across the valley in a storm, oddly indifferent to the threat behind them. Soon, they were close enough for her to see each small brown head; black antennas fixed towards her like arrows.

_You got this_, she told herself, grimly. Her jump rope started swinging.

_You got this._

They connected with a terrific _bang!_ Selphie danced out of the way as three sets of jaws slapped into each other where her heart had been. Her weapon flicked out: _poff!-poff!-poff!_ All of them burst into a haze, while a bigger handful fanned off of the remains as they swirled in a mass to follow her.

_You got this!_

Another sweep rattled the line: a solid hit sent one ant-Heartless careening into the next until the whole pile toppled over, half of them dusted. Her mouth stretched out into a ferocious grin of triumph.

It dropped just as quickly.

Even more Heartless crawled out from around their friends, quick and plentiful and busy and hiding the remains under a sea of darkness. Too many dull yellow eyes glowed at her under the bright afternoon sun. Red symbols walked in and out of view on a pulsing mass of black bellies as they skittered closer.

_Uh-oh_.

"Hey, what are you doing? You've got to run!"

Selphie felt a tug on her shoulder: the man had come back. "You've got to run!" he insisted.

"No. _You've_ gotta run. Get out of here. Don't worry. I got this." Selphie pulled away and stomped forwards, both ends of her weapon spinning.

"But- you can't- they're monsters!" He roared after her.

"They're _Heartless_," she corrected him.

_ker_-_THOOM!_

A booming blast staggered the ground. Wind crushed the fighting to a squidge as Nova cratered the crowd a second time. Selphie spun head over heels and landed on all fours in a bone-rattling _thud!_ Some of the ants had tumbled with her and clacked dismay with their thin legs pedaling the air. She somersaulted up, crouched low, and walloped them with a heavy spin before they could recover. More black ash joined the rest as a dark cloud billowed up and away.

Another wave of Heartless clambered to life and rushed at her. Selphie ripped the jump rope around in a frenzied cross slash. A spot of darkness blurred from behind; nagged at her heart. She dodged.

Too late.

The swipe missed most of her left side but caught on her leg. Selphie twisted and flailed at the same moment: the handle of her weapon blundered into its chittering mandible and sent the creature off to disintegrate with the rest.

Its friend followed quickly. The third Heartless behind both of them got lucky.

"OW!" Selphie screamed as it latched on to her left arm. Her jump rope snarled tight inside her fingers: without a solid grip, she pounded at it with her bare fist instead. "Leggo!"

The Heartless squeezed down harder. It hurt, it _hurt_, but the swift-moving clicking sounds driving all around her made it so much _worse_. She kicked. She shoved. She pulled and prodded and somehow seized the end of her jump rope and-

_CR-UNCH!_

A huge fist punched into the top of its head. Armor cracked; spluttered out in every direction. The large man scowled over it. "You let her go!"

Selphie fell backwards and bounced onto the grass. The Heartless crumbled. Her arm ran white-hot and numb before it started to throb.

The man shook out his knuckles: "Wow! What is that thing made of?" He winced and blew on them.

"D-Darkness," she said, and gathered her shaky legs underneath her. Then: "Wait!"

Nova burst through the crowd in that same instant. Her spear whirred like an angry bee and sliced through the remaining dregs of the horde. The man ducked with a _gasp!_ as she spun around him: deflecting, jabbing, pushing, stabbing.

Selphie felt air wheeze through her open mouth and slammed it shut in the time it took for the smaller clump of enemies to clear. There had been so many and they'd just... she'd just...

A spike of irritation seized her. "Hey!" Selphie scowled. "You did it again."

The whirlwind ground to a halt in one last gigantic puff of black smoke. Scratches and cuts ran down both her arms; the knotted ends of her hair had come undone and streamed down the back of her neck in tangles. She was driven and focused and _fierce_, and Selphie suddenly didn't want to find out what would happen if her teacher ever fought her for real. _Ever._

Except for the tiny part that whispered: _you sure about that?_

Then Nova blew out a giant breath and bent over. The spear dipped towards the ground, wavering. She swayed where she knelt: held that position so long, in fact, that Selphie opened her mouth to say something again and found herself met with a lop-sided quirk of an eyebrow before she had a chance to squeak. "What are you complaining about?"

"I could've gotten more of them."

"You're unhappy... because I destroyed Heartless? You let him have one." A sharp jab of a finger pointed at the man, who had straightened up and now glanced between both of them with something like bemused shock.

Selphie lifted her voice and her nose in lofty condescension. "I can be generous," she sniffed.

The _look_ she got from that was incredulous. "You're serious?"

"Hey! I was handling it."

"It's not a competition."

"Well... maybe it isn't." Selphie stuck out her tongue. "But, how am I supposed to know how good I get if I don't count?"

Nova rolled her eyes. "It counts if you survive," she said, mildly.

"Still." Selphie glowered at her. Then she grinned. "I got more of 'em that time, didn't I?"

"Yes."

That simple admission made her squeal with delight. "Yeah!" she pumped her fist into the air. Her heart wanted to burst, it felt so happy.

"But I still think you need a new weapon."

"Well-"

"So, hey. Uh..." the big man waved at them. His llama had slipped back into view and now trotted over at the same time. Both of them stared around the empty field with wide eyes.

That _had_ gone quicker than she'd expected. Selphie decided it was a good thing: her legs trembled as she pushed herself off the ground. Halfway up, as Nova ghosted into place at her side, she finally remembered what she ought to ask. "Oh! Hey, are you guys okay?"

She was looking at the man. It was the _llama_ who replied with: "Wow. Didn't know what hit them, did they? I'm impressed." Then it reared up on its back hooves and took some half-hearted jabs at a swirl of grey air breezing the dust away. "Take that you little... weird... things. Ants."

"Heartless," Nova corrected him, leaning on her spear.

"Riiiight. Okay, so..."

"Wow." Excitement bubbled up."Your llama _talks_," Selphie breathed. That was better than a Cat.

The animal folded its arms and glared. "Uh, yeah," he snipped. "Rude."

"It's not that unusual."

Everyone else stared at Nova. "It isn't?" they chorused.

"Um... nevermind." she scratched at the back of her head and coughed.

"Anyway, he's uh... he's not my llama," said the big man, after the silence had stretched out too far. He stuck out his hand to Selphie. "I'm Pacha. Nice to meet you. You know, we should take a look at your arm," he said, and nodded at the one she'd slung close to her side.

"You're injured?" Nova blinked at her.

"So're _you_. Don't worry, I got the potions." Her pink backpack dropped to the ground with a _clink!_ on the fringe of necessary introductions. "Hi! I'm Selphie." She grinned at Pacha over the handshake. "This is Miss Nova."

"Miss-?" 

"My teacher," Selphie confided.

"Oh, I see." Pacha had a nice smile. It fit with solid comfort on his square face. "Pleasure to meet you. Thanks for the save from the, ah-"

"Heartless."

"Yeah, yeah, those _things_, whatever they were- you know you're pretty strong for such a tiny lady," the llama interrupted, and sidled over to Nova to give her a hard look up and down. Then he smirked. "How do you feel about being a bodyguard to an emperor?"

"Emperor?"

"Uh, yah." The llama strutted in front of her. "Who did you think you were talking to?"

"Kuzco..." Pacha dropped his face into his palm.

"Exactly. _Emperor_ Kuzco." A plume of straight, perfectly coiffed hair breezed out and settled back in against the fine black fur on his neck. He winked at Nova. "You're speechless and totally honored to be in my presence, I know. I know." He nodded with sage wisdom and a mincing: "It's fine."

"You're an emperor?" Selphie blurted out before she could think.

"Yah. _The_ emperor." Kuzco rolled his eyes at the clouds and muttered, "Sheesh, get with the program. Kids these days..."

"I'm not a kid," Selphie replied automatically. Then she pointed at the impossible and yelped at Pacha: "Your emperor's a _llama_?"

"Jeez. _Rude_."

"To be fair, he didn't used to be," the big man was glaring at his friend. "I guess that's why he's so _bad_ at keeping a low profile."

"Whaaat. Why should I? I'm the em-pe-ror." Kuzco clicked the syllables out with his teeth and smiled affably. "World revolves around me, baby." He crossed his front legs and turned up his nose. "Can't do that if I can't be seen."

Pacha sighed. "And yet, you're a llama." He gestured with both hands for emphasis. "A _talking_ llama."

"Isn't that normal?"

Everyone stared at Nova again. She covered her mouth with her hand and checked the sky, suddenly interested in the nearest cloud formation.

Selphie frowned at her with the rest. There were more things she wanted to ask- _so_ much -but-

Pacha made a noise. "No, uh. No, it... isn't. Not around here." He rubbed at his neck. "Say, uh, where are you folks from, anyway?"

Now it was Selphie's turn to wish she didn't have anything to say. Her teacher had mentioned something called 'world order' and how they weren't supposed to let people know where they were from. It would 'disturb the balance'. Whatever that meant.

She didn't know if she cared about any of it. Why worry if the Heartless were already breaking things down? But she'd promised she'd try to follow along and Pacha was still looking at her. "Oh," she said. "Um-"

"Bah. Whatever. Don't know, don't care. Not important." Kuzco slipped in between them with a wave and a shove. Selphie caught her balance, blood boiling, right after he'd taken her place and draped a friendly arm over Nova's shoulders. "So, that bodyguard thing. Whaddya say, eh? Gotta be a pretty sweet gig following around an emperor, right?"

"I have other things to do," Nova said, suddenly two steps away. She watched the llama tip over onto the grass with a small shake of her head. "Isn't that what your friend is for?"

"What, Pacha?" Kuzco laughed from the ground like he meant to fall and propped himself up on a front leg. "He's just helping me get back to the palace."

"Against my better judgment," mourned the man.

The emperor-llama flicked a pebble at him. When Pacha glared over, he stretched out onto the grass on his back and crossed his cloven hooves behind his head. "See? And once I'm there, I'll get Yzma to change me back and you could ask me for a... uh... _minor_ favor." He held two toes up: a tiny crack of sunlight peeked through between them. "For keeping me safe from those creeps."

"_Heartless_." Selphie stamped her foot. The fun of a talking llama was wearing off quickly. _Aren't there any _nice _talking animals?_

"Yeah, whatever. Those things." He simpered and batted his eyes at Nova. "It's a good deal, right?"

"Hm." Her teacher tapped her spear against the ground a few times, thinking. Then, she looked over at Selphie, who pouted and didn't feel like stopping. Finally, she put her hand into a side pocket of her pants and pulled something out. "Either of you ever see anything like this?"

It was a part of a gummi block: one of the bright green ones that glowed yellow. Selphie had her own, both hacked off of a bigger piece. Almost all of the ship had gone dim, but not before they'd confirmed the small samples worked. They'd light up if the right kind of magic was applied. Hopefully.

Kuzco rolled over to look at it, then scratched his chin. "What is it... some kind of rubber chew toy?"

"I have no idea what that is," said Pacha.

"It's called a gummi," Nova explained, patiently. "It's supposed to make light."

They all stared at her hand until Kuzco reached up to prod at the side with a hoof. "What, like magic or something?" He sounded dubious.

"Yes."

"Uh-hu-uh. Well, I bet Yzma might know something about your magic rock-thing. I could ask her for you, if you take me back to the palace. She's into a lot of those potions and mumbo jumbo stuff."

Nova closed her hand into a fist around the gummi block. "I suppose," she said, slowly.

"I thought I was taking you back to the palace." Pacha squinted at him.

"You guys know how to get there?" At Nova's blank look, Kuzco rolled his eyes and made a noise of disgust. "Figures."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Ooo!" Selphie hopped in place, and demanded: "Your friend can do magic?"

"We-ell, she's not my friend. And I _technically_ fired her, but, she has to listen to me. I'm the emperor." His face folded into a superior smirk. "Maybe Yzma could show _you_ a thing or two."

"She'd teach me?" Selphie couldn't hold in her excitement.

"Sure. Why not? She would if _I_ say so. _I'm_ the emperor."

Pacha groaned. "Kuzco..."

"And what do you get out of it?" Nova frowned at him.

The llama laughed. He sprang to his feet and sidled over, careful to keep some space between them. "Bodyguarding, of course!" he chortled. "You scratch my back, I scratch yours. C'mooon, it's a good deal. Whaddya say?"

Selphie didn't waste a moment. She whirled and tugged at Nova's arm. "Let's do it," she said.

"But..."

"You can't teach me magic, right?"

"Well... no, but-"

"Those Heartless'll be _easy_. If they're like those ants." Selphie stared down at her fingers; closed them into a fist. "C'mon, Miss Nova. I can do more with magic- I gotta try if there's a chance. Please?"

Nova dropped her head and pinched her nose. Then she sighed, finally. "I suppose you do."

Selphie and Kuzco cheered.

__________________________________________________________________________

"Just who do those two bozos think they are, huh?"

Pete stood inside the shadow of a very large rock and scowled at the mess below him. Several large craters now pock-marked the grass, brown and out of place in a swath of green. His Heartless swarm had been utterly destroyed. "How hard is it to corner one measly little llama?" he muttered. "None of thems that saved 'em gots enough light ta make 'em worth a lick of trouble."

He scratched at the short, black fur between his ears. "There's somethin' goin' on here," he said. One massive foot tapped the ground, while the rest of him settled into something resembling thinking.

Finally, a spark lit. "I got it!" he cackled. Pete leaned over and rubbed his hands together with glee. "They'll never know what hit, 'em. Ehehehehe..."

That settled, he tromped into another quickly formed dark corridor and vanished.

__________________________________________________________________________

A figure cloaked in black ejected out of the forest. The portal held fast for a moment longer than it should have, and they dove through, a flutter of a whine caught mid-sentence before it snapped off: "-do I always gotta do the heavy lifting? So not-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will go well. This will _definitely_ go well.
> 
> Side Note: It may interest no one but 'future me' that this chapter originally had an entirely different scene at the beginning. And funny, hah, it was only after I'd decided to move it that I realized I'd almost pulled a 'Xemnas walking down the staircase in 2FM' moment in the middle of an action sequence.
> 
> Lordy. *whacks head on desk*
> 
> 2nd Side Note: And a quick reminder. I love the ever-living sh*t out of comments, you folks are great. All y'all who read this fic are great, period. That said, I _can't_ read anything current until I've finished the next chapter because it _really_ messes with my writer brain while it's trying to pick apart the next section. I don't know why, I've just learned to respect that boundary.
> 
> All this to say, I will get to them, but it might be a week until I do, because all the chapters I've worked on lately are getting finished as they're getting posted. I tweak all the way up to hitting 'post', to be honest. One day I might get ahead again and have something resembling a 'buffer' (ooo, what's that?), and get an opportunity to engage right away, but until that day happens, please know I appreciate the heck out of it when someone takes the time to drop me a note, and I will reply when I have the opportunity.
> 
> (And when I have something non-spoilery and not vapid to say back. I am my own worst critic.)
> 
> Thank you. =^^=


	20. The Empire of the Sun: Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: anxiety and emotional trauma

She wandered, lost, on a shrouded glass platform. Her gaze fixed to the sky: empty distance gave nothing back.

The longer she looked, the less she found. Black stretched out to infinite end, ill-defined and impossibly vast. It was darkness shaped only by the weak glow it surrounded, and she wavered between the two, flickering and dim with nothing like real strength.

No. That was gone.

Sealed away. A long, long time ago.

Gentle wisps of light and dark melded together on the frail surface. An ocean of luminous vapor hovered in constant motion below her knees. Waves drifted in from the sides and tipped over the edges, filling the surface to the brim even as they overflowed and cascaded out into mist. Each curl, each twist of contrast held the tattered remains of emotion with none of their substance: the ruin of something torn away.

It felt... distant.

Hollow.

Numb.

Familiar.

_Wrong._

It... hadn't changed. _Nothing about her heart had changed._

How could she possibly bring Sora back?

Nova gripped her arms and scanned the sky again, despairing of light. That was all she needed. All she wanted. One star. One connection could make it right.

_I could never make it right_.

Why? The Cat had reached past the barrier around her heart... somehow. Other bonds always faltered. Only her son had managed to break through with a permanent connection. By luck or by love, she could feel his heart when all the rest had faded away.

Now she couldn't find him, no matter how hard she looked.

_Why?_

Cold, gleaming shadows pooled at her feet. She bent over them; shivered.

She knew why.

A normal heart absorbed or projected as soon as it tried. The cloud hovering over her heart meant very little from the outside had reached in. Grey walls strangled her response. She needed a way to break through to herself: to whatever was trapped inside her sealed heart. She needed to change.

Was that possible?

Stained glass beckoned. Nova crouched down and tried to peer through the murk. Fog surrounded her, sick and serene, filled with too many things snuffed out before they began. Blurred, slight ridges raised the floor where different pieces intersected: an outline traced the lifeless, distant grey of a once colorful picture. Sora couldn't know to look for her; he wouldn't know until she touched the thread that tied them together. She had to reach for _him_.

There would never be enough light.

Nova pushed her hand over the sting in her chest. She felt an emotion she could taste squeeze hard at her throat before it fell away: vanished as quick as it had arrived into formless grey. Shreds flaked off as she watched; lingered as dark, clinging tendrils that whispered up the side of the platform and spilled into the rest. Glowing clouds dimmed: shadows lengthened. The sky constricted as her heart swallowed down an old, old fear. 

All of this she knew; had _known_. The quickest solution involved a Keyblade, and that... was impossible. Given a choice- her chance -she hadn't taken it. There were worse things in the world, she knew. She _knew_.

And now?  
  
_A can't is less than don't but more than won't._

Frustrating Cat. What did it know?

She had stopped a long time ago and never, _never_ looked back. Her Aunties had saved her, over and over, when she'd crashed headlong into her new life: many painful questions had been put aside for their sake until her son was born. And then, even when they'd left, she'd never been asked again. Never had to confront the differences. Never had to remember the parts of her that _mattered_, buried and long forgotten.

Sora belonged on the Destiny Islands. She belonged to him. There was no concern for her origins after that: time and familiarity had taken care away. She'd stopped moving forwards or backwards. She'd stopped and never asked for more. Never tried to recover the parts that mattered to her alone.

_Can't?_ The Cat from her memories grinned and laughed: one hard, black claw trailed slowly down her cheek. _Or should I say won't? _it purred.

_Don't_. _Please_.

A tail flicked; the Cat vanished. All the feelings she couldn't feel surged into a mass and twisted her stomach before they fell back and drowned under seething grey. More deep shadows rippled awake: boiled up to flow over the platform.

Nova seized her head with both hands and tempered her breath: in, out; in, out. Calm. Slow. It pounded; ached. Her heart felt heavy and rough. Raw.

What if she needed those parts of herself?

What still lurked in the depths of her heart?

She was afraid, but- now she _had_ to try.

Nova gathered herself together and held still. Then, slowly, she lowered her hands and pressed them flat to the floor.

It trembled at her touch.

Clouds shifted. A spot of light bobbed to the crest of a wave of shadows, brighter than anything. She bumped it without meaning to and found-

_Joy_. Shock sparked through her heart and raised like an umbrella, aired out and lifted higher and higher while the rest of her clustered beneath, buoyant as clouds. She hadn't felt this way since... since...

_:Sora held a tiny fish between two plump hands with a silly, wonderful grin whistling through the gap in his front teeth:_

_:A girl with black hair and a goofy smile crushed exam paper tight between her fingers and waved it around in triumph:_

Emotion split around her, torn away. Nova dropped out of her memories blind and keening. Every taste of true feeling led to renewed grief. Fifteen years she'd left her heart to suffer. She'd kept her son safe from the worst parts of herself. And now- _now_ -she needed them back. She needed to find her son. He _needed_ her. Wasn't that enough time?

Her hand raised up, out of the gloom, curled into a fist around empty air and summoned-

_No._

_No._

_No!_

Darkness clawed at her feet. Nova cried out; tried to push away. Instead-

:_She tumbled into a fluid so thick it suffocated. A palpable, nauseating taste of decay crowded her mouth, gathered in fistfuls of dense fog that slithered into her lungs and ripped them open from the weight. It filled, and filled, and _filled_, and it didn't matter that she was falling again- again? -because despair had clawed up from inside the hidden corners of her to reach out and seize and swallow more of the black stuff until she didn't know where she began and darkness ended...:_

"No!" Her hands stuck to cold glass, pulled down, down, _down_ while shadows swirled around her wrists. Nova bent over them, light-headed and gasping for air. Red swam around her fingertips: crimson bled to black as it leafed up her skin-

"NO!" she screamed. 

A tremor buckled the platform.

Nova ripped free and stumbled to her feet. She reached up and clenched both of her normal- _normal!_ -fists together. More clusters of soundless waves struck the platform as she moved. Swirling clouds stuttered; smoothed. Each _thump_ of effort jarred the soles of her feet, eerie and diffident without any noise to give it weight.

Something... _inside_ wanted out.

"You're not getting out," she hissed at the darkness. Glass shook again, and again; clouds of smoke billowed up in a fog of agitated wrath. Her voice trembled: she didn't care. "I can do this without you," she said. "I'll find Sora. I don't want you. I don't-" a sudden wild urge to weep seized her. Nova huddled around it; gathered in close. "I don't want to hurt anyone," she said.

Erratic rhythms continued: labored thumping rocked the ground underneath her. Mixed, luminous puffs raised and lowered, slipped gently into familiar outlines.

She turned away. "It's... fine," she whispered to herself. Quiet words echoed in oppressive silence. "It is."

_My friends were always better at it than I could ever hope to be._

**_True. _**

Nova fled.

__________________________________________________________________________

"Hey. Hey!" An over-large menu waggled in her face. Selphie appeared, cheeks puffed out in a pout. Her green eyes sparked brilliant contrast to dull, dim greys. "Hey, Miss Nova. You awake?"

"What? I-" she frowned and blinked out the haze. They'd stopped for food after Kuzco had complained one too many times. Now the group sat in a restaurant built into the roots of a giant tree: nets strung through the ceiling provided a strange decorative contrast with shells, starfish, and bulbous fish tangled inside. Conversation hummed around them, bright and cheerful and full of other diners with the occasional clink of dishes and strident voices yelling for orders.

Everything was so much more vibrant than the cavernous echo inside of her. Nova reeled underneath the flood of renewed sensation, spinning over and over, before she gripped the side of the table to stabilize herself. That felt _real_. She needed to forget the rest; set boundaries around her thoughts. Block the rest. Her heart felt sore and very tired. "I'm here," she said.

"Mug of meat or cheese log?"

"To... eat?"

Selphie nodded and shoved the menu under her nose again. "To split. You want to get the meat mug or the cheese log?"

They both sounded awful in different ways. Kuzco seemed to agree: he sat next to her and made faces at Pacha, who was enthusiastically slurping the soft belly of a hot and crispy pill bug into his mouth through a straw.

It didn't _smell_ that bad. "You could try this," Nova said, and prodded a second bug-topped plate over.

"Ew." Selphie wrinkled her nose and pushed it back. "No thanks."

"You could try it first."

"Not gonna happen."

"They're actually pretty good," Pacha deposited a clean straw onto the plate. "My kids are big fans. I'm surprised you're not."

"It's a _bug_," Selphie said, as if that explained everything. "And I'm not a kid."

"Oh really?" He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "Well, you are older."

Nova suddenly caught her breath. Sora hadn't liked the look of his first crab, either. That fight had ended with a terrific mess in the kitchen and a pile of splintered crustaceans hacked to pieces with a thick spoon. Not for any particular food-related reason, no: he'd insisted on defending their home from bug monsters.

_Well._ She pinched her nose as memories unspooled to another uneaten dinner with a painful jolt; the darkness that had followed shuddered too near another glassy _thump_! still throwing her heart into juddering, roiling flips. Nova's fingers dug grooves into the carved tree stump bench; splinters pricked into her palms as she leaned forward. "All right, why not try-" the menu had fallen over with the pictures right-side up; she nodded after it, desperate "-ah, something else with... gravy. There's a lot of options with gravy."

"Where are _you_ going?" The weight next to her had shifted: Pacha stared after Kuzco, who was clearly off to do something he shouldn't.

Their emperor-llama made a noise. "I'm just going to slip into the kitchen and have a word with the chef."

"You're gonna get us thrown out."

"Please. With this disguise, I'm _invisible_." He wore the big man's green poncho like a dress; a borrowed hat covered his long ears. Gaudy makeup from one of the many forgotten pockets in Selphie's backpack rounded out the picture. All things considered, he made a very bad impression of a human and wouldn't stand well under any kind of scrutiny.

Kuzco seemed intent on making arrogance out of ignorance. He kicked a hoof at her and strutted away. "On the double, bodyguard."

"Hey!" Selphie slapped the table with both hands and scowled at him. "You could say _please_."

"...why?" He seemed genuinely confused.

Nova slid out of the booth with her spear in tow. Scratches on her hand stung against the shaft: a welcome distraction. "It's fine. Let's- it's fine." She shooed them both into a brisk escape.

Inside the swinging double doors was a room cleaner than she expected. Cluttered, but not unusual for a kitchen. Short, hollowed out tree stumps full of potatoes were planted on the floor in easy reach; chilies, melons, onions, and various other fresh and dried plants ornamented vines roped through hooks in the ceiling. A large bucket with soapy water and filthy dishes sat to the side of a raised table draped with a blue-green tablecloth. The lizard embroidered on it was flipped on its back; claws pointed towards a solidly built man in a chef's hat who glared at them from his station in front of a cavernous stone stove. He stirred a large cauldron on the table with a long paddle: swift, agitated strokes increased in volume as Kuzco waltzed over.

"Hellooo? You the chef? Hey, buddy, gotta talk to you about your menu." He wasted no time. "I mean, it looks like this place specializes in the 'classic' dining experience-" black toes made air quotes "-but I gotta say it's not working out for you. There's some interesting... smells coming off the appetizers. I don't think you want to scare off paying customers, do you?"

Nova, meanwhile, leaned away from her inspection of an open door on the opposite side of the room: welcome, cool air drifted out into the warm kitchen. "Hey, take it down a notch," she scolded.

"What? I'm just telling the guy what he needs to hear."

"I don't think he needs to hear that."

"Nooo, I'm pretty sure he does. I mean, he wouldn't want this place to end up on some health and safety checklist."

The chef grated to a stop; he spoke for the first time since their invasion: a gravelly burr spat out over the pot. "What'd you say?"

"Now, wait a minute." Nova knew she had difficulty picking out subtle emotional cues, but the emperor-llama's meaning seemed obvious. Even so: "Are you... threatening him?"

Kuzco scoffed. "Who's side are _you_ on? Of course I'm not _threatening_ him. I'm just giving him some reasonable advice."

She glanced between the two, uncertain. Furious stirring _clanged_ back and forth. "That didn't sound reasonable."

"Look, all I know is that the food looked... iffy. I'm not the only one who thinks that, I'm sure."

"I thought it looked fine." Unusual, but every world had their flavor.

"Again, who's side are you on?" The llama snorted at her.

Nova's spear dipped across her body in defense. "I'm not... sure?" She scratched the back of her head.

"Ugh!" Kuzco threw his hooves up. Then he leaned on the table with a simpering confidence. "Sooo. _Buddy_. I'm just checking to make _sure_ you'll take the main course up a notch."

The cook twitched; stirred faster.

"Psst. Hey!" A low, hoarse whisper interrupted impending disaster: Pacha gestured at them frantically from the other side of the dining room door.

"What's going on?" Nova tensed.

"No time to explain," he tip-toed inside and, after one frantic look out the round window, dashed over to the llama. "We've got to leave!"

"It's a simple question." Kuzco kept talking, even as he _yipped_ and found himself bundled out of range of the cook's ever-increasing pot pounding. "Is there, or is there not anything edible- _on this menu?_"

Another person walked into the kitchen. Nova slipped behind the door to the storage room and caught a glimpse of the new arrival before it _thwacked_ closed: the tall, athletic man wore a blue tunic with a wide, square gold collar and had a genial grin on his handsome face. He looked entirely human; she turned to Pacha, confused. "There aren't any Heartless. What's going on?"

"Hey, I didn't ask him about dessert, yet!" Abandoned on the floor, the llama shook out ruffled fur and turned around immediately. His friend was too busy straining against the square window shutter on the opposite wall to reply.

The cook started yelling. A quick second later, and Nova shoved open the slat hard enough to rattle the tree. "_What's_ going on?" she demanded. "Where's Selphie?"

"We don't have time. We've gotta get out of here," Pacha gestured at her frantically. "There's-" he looked over and groaned. "Kuzco!"

"In a minute, I'm still hungry." The llama trotted out of the room and into the fracas without a second glance.

"Augh!" Pacha made a face and a frantic, shooing motion at Nova. "There's some people out there looking for him- not friendly -we gotta get him out of here!"

"All right, let's-" she looked out the window; stiffened. 

"What-"

"Shh!" Another flicker of movement dropped her voice several notes into a deep growl. "You go get Kuzco. I'll clear a path."

"What?"

"_Go_." She stepped backward, bounced twice on her toes, and grounded her focus. Then she tipped towards the hole in a rush.

"Wait!"

Air _whiffed_ around her; Nova ejected outside the gigantic tree and somersaulted towards one of the large supporting roots. It seemed an age before her feet touched down and moss ruined the landing: she slipped. Badly. An undignified squeak popped out before reflexes kicked her into a quick off-balance slide to the floor of the jungle. There, she crashed to her knees with a heavy _thud!_ before they tumbled into another aching roll and she brought her spear up with a _snap!_

The Heartless were waiting.

A handful of the little red wizards from Wonderland floated at the edge of the clearing, not bothered in the slightest by her arrival. They bobbled on invisible currents over the top of more ant-Heartless, who skittered through dense leaves until they lined up in a ragged row, mostly hidden by the deep undergrowth. Glowing yellow eyes gave them away. And...

"Nyah, hah, hah, hah!" A portly, imposing figure in strange armor stepped out in front of them at the same time. He bent over and leered at Nova. "Who's this then? Some kinda hero? Ya ain't much'a one ta look at, that's all I can say."

"_Pete_." Her left fist ground around the spear. More memories flickered in and out of her thoughts before she shook her head and jostled them away. "What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" The bulky cat seemed surprised. He scratched his head. "And just who d'ya think you are? I've never seen ya before. Ya heard of me somewheres I don't know about?"

"I-" Nova reached up towards her face; dropped her hand. "No. You don't know me. And I've heard _nothing_ good about you," she said.

"Well, that's all right, isn't it? Already famous, and I ain't even started anything, yet." He made an exaggerated show of looking around before turning back to the swarm, puffed up and proud. "That's right," he said. "We're off ta get ourselves an Emperor."

"Not if you've taken up with the Heartless." She shifted into a ready position. "Not _ever_."

He grunted and the noise turned into a guffaw. "Hah! Says you."

"I do."

"Well, huh." He shrugged. "Guess yore just another tasty snack. Heartless! Attack!"

They jumped at his bellow. Ants raced over and slowed when they reached her; milled around. Blank eyes wavered in and out of focus, lost in the swarm. Nothing reached out to strike.

She coughed. Quietly.

"Hey! What's goin' on here, huh?" Pete growled and stomped his oversized foot. "Whaddya doin' ya stupid Heartless?"

"They don't hit me until I hit _them_," Nova said. "They're not smart enough." She held herself still as darkness brushed past in a cloud: thick, and nauseating. _Vile_, even from the distance her grey walls provided. The spear snapped upright: one of the ants flicked an antenna; meandered away.

_Heartless eat the strongest light._

She filled her lungs and emptied them again: slow; deep. "Are you ready for me?" she asked. Her advantage wouldn't last.

Pete opened his mouth to reply.

Nova attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [05/25/20] Made some minor text adjustments I missed while skipping between my writing doc and the upload. Ack! My apologies! *^^*;;
> 
> I made myself many a feels over this section. Sorry, Nova. :(  

> 
> Side Note: I'm still running kind of loose on tags, simply because I know where the story's going but I don't know _where_ the story is going moment to moment, any more than y'all do. Gift of being a 'plantser', I suppose (guess that's a thing? I'd never heard of it before this week, but, seems to fit...). 
> 
> For now, if I spot something I recognize that might need a content warning, I'll do my best to set one at the top of each chapter. Hoping to have a more accurate set of tags as I move forward, but it looks like some of the prevailing advice suggests to tag warnings only if the fic has a recurring theme -of- said thing being warned about. And since I don't know... uh... well. I hope the top-chapter content warnings work until I have enough content to judge whether something is tag material or not.  
Thank you for your patience. 
> 
> 2nd Side Note: Why are the emotional _thwacking_ hammers all coming out every ten chapters? The last time I had -this- much trouble with a chapter, I was writing... chapter ten.
> 
> ...crap.


	21. The Empire of the Sun: Part V

"Why are you even _with_ that guy?" Selphie flopped back into her seat and crossed her arms. The llama vanished into the kitchen with her teacher, and she frowned after both of them, bothered more than she cared to admit. Kuzco was so... "Not cool."

"Well. I could have left him to get eaten by jaguars. Or snakes." Pacha rubbed at his neck and admitted: "I mean, he wants to destroy my village- wipe it all away -so he can make himself a summer palace. His 'Kuzcotopia'." Fingers made air quotes around the word. 

_What_. "He can't do that." 

"Yes, he can."

Selphie curled her lips like a sour lemon had bit her. "That's not right."

"He's the emperor." Pacha stirred at the inside of the bug with his straw. "Honestly, after he kicked me out of the palace, I didn't think we had a chance," he said. "But when Kuzco showed up in my cart, tied up in a sack, already a llama, I... I couldn't leave him there. So, now we're headed back to make him human again."

"You're helping him? Really?"

"Truth is, he _is_ selfish. _Very_ selfish. Did you know he had an old man thrown out a window, just for throwing off his groove? The emperor could just... snap his fingers, and my family and everybody I know could lose their home. But-" Pacha gave the table a rueful smile "-I don't think he wants to be that way," he said. "I figure, if I can give him a chance, maybe he'll change."

"Huh." Selphie squirmed in her seat. Kuzco was sounding more and more like a bully. And he hadn't been a _great_ person in front of her, either. _I guess... _

She ducked her head before she could finish the thought. "No, you're right. We gotta give him a chance."

Pacha nodded. "I mean, he saved my life after a cliff dropped out from under me. That's got to mean something." The big man started eating again: gooey bug mush vanished up the straw. He slurped; cleared his throat. "_Ahem_. What about you? How long have you and Nova been travelling together?"

"Ugh-" Selphie wasn't as rude as Kuzco: she could pretend _not_ to make the weird faces and gagging noises. 

But oh, man was it _hard_ sometimes.

One of the flouncing waitresses bubbled past without a second glance; Selphie waved frantically at her and went un-noticed in favor of a big platter stacked with baskets of onion rings. They smelled amazing. "Hey! C'mon-"

"She'll be back. Give her a minute."

"Ugh." The metal fork clattered down as Selphie sat back. Still hungry. And how much were they supposed to share? _World order, world order, world border... something, something walls..._ "We just started travelling together. It's been a couple of... days?" Time moved different in different worlds; she had no idea. Maybe she could carve a clock out of a gummi piece? "Miss Nova's my friends' mom. We're trying to track him down," she said, finally.

"Oh, okay. You trying to meet up with him, or something? If you guys need to go-"

"No. Maybe? I don't know. We lost him, I guess." She picked at the edge of the table and stared up the inside of the living tree, towards the ceiling full of nets and the fat, brightly colored, unfamiliar fish. The dock on the Play Island had been a great spot to fish. "Our home is... gone. We got away, but... the Heartless. They ate up our islands." 

Pacha stopped to stare at her. "They can do that?"

"Yeah." Suddenly, she wasn't hungry any more.

"How- how did it happen? And you're saying her kid got lost after all that? That's terrible!"

It really, really _was_ terrible. But- "We're pretty sure he's okay. Not like... everyone else." Selphie stuck her feet out underneath her and waved them around, toes wiggling inside her sandals. If Sora was out there she wanted to find him, she really did. She wanted all of their friends back.

The whole islands: she wanted them all back. 

But, sometimes, it didn't sound like her teacher felt the same way. It was like she'd already given up. Like it was another thing she wouldn't do.

_Why?_

It wasn't impossible. Sora had a Keyblade that could save everyone; she could believe that. If believing was so important, she'd do it. If it made a difference: made her weapons stronger; made _her_ stronger, she'd do it. They had to fight and she had to believe they'd find their friends: they'd find Sora, they'd find Zell, they'd save everyone. Her heart wanted to be strong. She _needed_ to believe.

Pacha waited while she scrubbed at her face with her sleeve. Then, he said, quiet and stiff: "Is that something we should be afraid of? Here?" His question was aimed at her, but his eyes had wandered towards the window, into the dense jungle outside. 

"Well, there's always some around, I guess. Like those ants. Miss Nova says Heartless aren't that unusual. But-" Selphie felt her attention drift around, too, and followed it. Two strange people had walked into the restaurant while they were talking and it was suddenly taking all of her effort not to gawk. One was a weird, bony woman in a purple dress; the other was a big, athletic-looking guy in a tunic that showed off all his muscles. They didn't seem very happy; _that woman doesn't seem very happy_, she corrected herself. 

"But...?" Pacha waved a hand in front of her face. 

"Oh!" She blinked and shook her head. The unusual couple stomped by the table and took the booth behind theirs; Selphie tried not to stare after them. "If- if there's too many, it gets bad. Really bad. That's when we lock the heart of the world to save it."

"I don't know what any of that means. But, if I can do something to help...?"

"Sure, I guess-" Selphie darted a glance over her shoulder. The purple, scary lady had started yelling something about following squirrels- getting directions from squirrels. _What?_

Pacha didn't seem to notice the ruckus. He bent over the table, both hands clasped together. Thick eyebrows pulled together into a frown before he finally straightened them. "You know," he said, "I think you've convinced me there's something more important than-"

"Ooo!" a nasty voice hissed behind them. "I should have done away with Kuzco myself when I had the chance!" 

Selphie squeaked and covered her mouth; wide, round eyes met Pacha's. They both leaned against their seats and listened furiously. 

"Aw." It took a while for the nice-looking man to find room in the conversation under all the grumbling. "You really gotta stop beating yourself up about that," he said.

Something metal _creaked_.

"Uh-oh. I'll get you another one there, Yzma." Suddenly, the handsome man was leaning over their booth. He tapped Pacha on the shoulder. "Yo," he said, and pointed at their table. "You using that fork pal?" 

"Uh. Here." 

"Thanks," the man grinned. Then, he paused. "Hey, don't I know you?"

"I don't think so," Pacha said. 

Selphie scooted backwards as her friend tried to cringe away, only to sit straight up with a loud _jolt_. "Wait, did he say Yzma?"

"I don't-"

"Oh, wait, I know," The man tapped his chin. He seemed undaunted by the challenge "Wrestled you in high school?"

"Don't remember that."

"No? Metal shop?"

"Uh, no..."

"Oh, I got it," the man snapped his fingers and guessed: "Miss Narca's interpretive dance- two semesters. I was usually in the back because of my weak ankles."

"Uh, no-" Pacha elbowed Selphie. "Can you distract them?" he whispered. "We can't let them find... well..."

She winked and ducked under the table. Her backpack slid after her in a heap.

The man patted him on the shoulder in the same moment. "Come on, pal. You gotta help me out here."

Pacha flinched and scooted towards his escape. "Look, I-I don't think we've ever met, but-" he pushed out of the bench and started running straight for the double doors of the kitchen, "-look, I gotta go."

"Don't worry. I'll think of it," the man called after him. Then he jumped with an _eep!_ of surprise. 

"Hi!" Selphie popped up in front of him, still trying to peel some of the floor goop from her bare knees. She hitched her bag to her shoulder and stuck out her hand; several different options surrendered to the simplest: "I'm Selphie. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, hey there. Kronk," he recovered quickly, and took it with a grin. "Any friend of a friend's a friend of mine." 

"Uh. I guess?"

"Is there anything on this menu that is not swimming in gravy?" The purple scary lady moaned over her menu, ignoring all of them.

"Hang on. I'll go ask the chef." 

Kronk stood. Selphie sidled in front of him again and pointed, desperate for a distraction and trying not to show it. "Who's your friend?" 

"Oh, right. Sorry." Kronk bowed, with a generous gesture. "Yzma, meet Selphie. Selphie, Yzma."

"Really?" She was immediately entranced. Kuzco hadn't said that the person who could teach her magic was anywhere nearby and there were so, _so many_ things Selphie hadn't even _thought_ to ask. 

Except they wanted to kill Kuzco. Her smile dropped. _Huh_. 

Speaking of- "Wait!" Kronk vanished into the kitchen as soon as she turned around. Selphie hadn't had time to say anything. Pacha hadn't had time to _do _anything. Kronk would spot the llama in seconds. "But-"

"Pipe down, pipsqueak." Yzma rubbed at her forehead and punctured the table with pointed elbows. Her eyelashes were long and tipped with barbs. "You're giving me a headache," she said.

"Sorry?" Double doors banged shut. Selphie winced and twisted a curled hair end into a knot. That hadn't gone well. Not at all. How long would it take until he found the emperor-llama? Another gaggle of waitresses flounced around the corner to the pickup window, blocking her view. "Oh, no."

"I see you are as impressed with the menu as I am." Yzma waved a careless hand at her. "Keep it to yourself. I'm not interested in _your_ opinions." 

"Okay, well," Selphie nibbled on her lip, thinking furiously. No one had started yelling or screaming; the diner maintained a normal kind of loud: clinking dishes, _pings_ of silverware, and a low murmur of multiple conversations filled the space. She seized the opportunity. Questions: she had a lot of them. "What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"So, hey," she hopped into the other seat at the booth and tried to ignore the way the purple scary lady bridled. After a moment of fishing around in her pockets, she found the gummi piece and pulled it out. It had lost all glow by then, and sat in her hand as a normal, squishy, fluorescent green. "Have you ever seen one of these before?"

"I'm not interested in some leftover chewing gum, either." Yzma sneered as she turned away. "Why am I even talking to you?"

"It's not chewing gum. It's a _gummi_ block."

"Bah! It's something a peasant would have. That means nothing to me." Yzma dismissed her with a casual wave and fired a glare across the diner instead: irritation thunked into the door to the kitchen on the heels of hard syllables: "_Where_ is he?"

"Hey!" Selphie felt a prickle as her temper rose. This Yzma _had_ to be the same one Kuzco had talked about. She knew the emperor.

_Wait a minute. _Kuzco had fired Yzma, or something. It didn't sound like she would be happy to help, even if she wasn't trying to kill him.

But then, did Yzma actually know anything? The person who could have taught her magic _definitely_ didn't know gummi blocks and that was a kind of magic. Not everyone knew about them, but Selphie felt like the two ought to be related somehow. Wouldn't it be easy to tell if a gummi block was magic if someone already knew other kinds?

This was the person who could have helped them fix their ship?

Selphie ground her own teeth together.The llama hadn't lied; he sure hadn't helped, either. "Do you even know magic?" she asked the woman, suspicious.

"What?"

"Kuzco said-" 

"Wait." Yzma leveraged herself up over the table in a flash. Her nails scraped jagged marks across wood. "_Wait_."

_Oops_. Selphie felt a hollow pang where her stomach had been. She scooted towards the side of the booth and tried to pretend she wasn't, all while the purple scary lady's pinched face arrowed closer. "You've met the _llama_, haven't you?" the woman wheedled.

"I-" 

"The _talking_ llama."

"I've seen _a_ llama. That's not weird." Selphie's chin jutted out. It was technically true. And there must have been a lot of llamas on the world, or there wouldn't have been a sign to warn them out of the restaurant. 

"Yes, but this one _talked_, didn't it?"

"Not... really?" He didn't stop talking. _She_ needed to stop talking. "Uh..."  
  
"You ready to order, hon?" One of the waitresses sauntered over. Her hair was piled high on top of her head and tied with a red bow. Big, oval earrings swished as she looked to either side of the table, and said: "We gotta problem here?"  
  
Yzma spoke first. Her voice had changed: honey dripped out of the corners. "No, of _course_ not. We don't have any problems at all, do we, a-heh, my dear?"  
  
Selphie wasn't afraid. She could take the weird, purple, scary-beyond-all-reason lady if she had to. "No. We were just talking." A moment later and she'd worked free of the bench, pink backpack secure. "I gotta go anyway, but it was nice meeting you. Bye."  
  
"Oh, no, no, no, stay, _stay_." Vulture talons gripped her shoulder; long, sharp nails poked holes in her shirt. "Wait, no, better yet, let's visit the chef. Kronk hasn't returned with your _special_ treat, yet, has he?" Yzma raked the waitress with a pointed smile.  
  
"Nothin' more special in there other than the meat mugs." The waitress gave Selphie a _look_. "Where did your friends get off to, honey?"  
  
"Oh. They- uh..." Selphie glanced towards the kitchen doors without meaning to and had to stifle an immediate _yip!_ of dismay. Pacha had pushed one side open a tiny bit: there was a struggling llama bundled up next to him. Complaining of course; thank goodness for the noisy diner. "Oh, hah! Yeah, they're in the bathroom, all of them." She fixed Yzma with a fierce grin. "What was that about the meat mugs? Special treat? Sure! Sure, let's-" she tried to peel herself out from under the claw, couldn't, and seized the arm it was attached to instead, tugging it along. "Let's go this way."  
  
"Wait, but-" the purple scary lady stumbled behind her, caught off balance, "I... suppose, yes?"   
  
"Hmm." The waitress tapped the order pad with her pen and followed them both.  
  
They made a straight line to the kitchen. Selphie timed it just right: she flipped open the door and bowed, with a broad sweep of her free arm. "Here we are!"  
  
"Yes. I see that." Yzma drawled with more sarcasm than Selphie had ever heard in a single sentence in her entire life. The purple scary lady pushed past her, and pulled both of them into a stumbling walk.   
  
It didn't matter, though: Pacha had scrambled out the other side at the same time, dragging the llama with him, unremarked by Yzma, and even managing to scuttle past the waitress before she could do more than blink.  
  
_Good. That's good._  
  
The purple scary lady acted a lot like Kuzco, she realized. Haughty and stuck-up: maybe they deserved each other.  
  
_But not if it means dying_. Selphie gave herself a mental shake. She didn't like the emperor-llama much, but if Pacha thought he could be a good person, she'd try to believe in him, too.  
  
Now she just had to figure out how to... _wait..._   
  
Selphie turned in a wide circle, as much as the claw-hand would admit. Her head whipped back and forth at the end of her tether, trying to make up the difference. _Where was Miss Nova?_ Wasn't she still in there?  
  
Selphie could take care of herself, but the extra help would have been nice.   
  
_I guess... I got this?_  
  
Yzma had started yelling again. Selphie eyed another door and the storage room beyond. Then she was shoved away from a clear view, and there was a rapid procession of boxes and stumps, and pots and pans, and fruit and vegetables, and every other kind of cooking tool imaginable and all of it suddenly danced with the whole tree as it shook with a jarring _thump! _  
  
Someone in the diner screamed. Other people picked up the noise until it sounded like a whole cacophony started on the other side of the double doors.  
  
_Darkness_. Selphie grabbed at her chest; her hand made a fist over her heart. She could feel it if she closed her eyes: a startling surge of shadows hovered in the air.   
  
It matched the smaller, somewhat dark heart that fumed and boiled inside of the purple scary lady; surprised her. _I can see those, too? _

The hand still pinned her shoulder to Yzma. She couldn't see the open window inside the storage room any more, but the circle of vivid green color and sunlight had made a space big enough for a person to fit through, she was sure.

_Uh-oh._

Heartless waited somewhere outside.

And her teacher, probably.   
  
_Uh-oh._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting... complicated.
> 
> Side Note: I spent most of this week (with all of the weird 'quirks' it picked up- RIP all of my plans) wondering where the heck this chapter was going. Then, the story straightened itself out. Happy. ^^  
I think I might do a full re-write when I get this project done, circumstances willing. Maybe. Still debating that.
> 
> I'll pop back in and scan for comments during the break, as I reach stop points in the draft- please feel free to let me know what y'all think, I'm curious to know! Otherwise, everyone please be safe, be well, have a wonderful month, and I look forward to dropping more chapters in July!


	22. The Empire of the Sun: Part VI

"Lady, you sure I ain't seen you somewheres a'fore?" Pete scratched his head as the last dark ant puffed away, more curious than concerned. "You're awfully familiar-like."  
  
Nova sneezed. Then she stabbed the heel of her weapon into the dirt and pulled herself out of a giant plume of black dust: Heartless remains spun in giant, gentle whorls before they drifted off to vanish into the blue, blue sky. More sour thoughts popped and drowned while her sore heart hid them away. The constant pounding rhythm had tapered off into the familiar pain without healing that she occasionally forgot but never stopped feeling. "Can't think of why," she said, mild for all the effort. 

Her spear tip dipped towards him in a fixed line: kind of it not to wobble. Bruises, scorch marks, and a particularly shredded pant leg with one nasty set of scratches behind ripped fabric hampered the effect. "You can leave now," she suggested, firmly.   
  
Nova didn't care if Pete remembered her: better he didn't, actually. It had been over a decade since they'd crossed paths and the ungrateful wretch was as mean-spirited as ever: new outfit, new power, same Pete. And _now_ he could control the Heartless, too. _Delightful_.   
  
_Wonder who taught him that trick._  
  
"Hmm..." Pete pondered for a while, mouth turned up into a pinched frown. "I'm missin' somethin'," he said.  
  
"I doubt it."  
  
"Naw. You're not from around here, are ya?" The cat leaned back for a hefty laugh that jogged up and down his broad midsection before it rolled tight underneath a lean, menacing smirk. "Ain't nothin' gets past ol' Pete," he said. "You ain't one of them Keyblade heroes, but you shore don't belong ta this world neither."  
  
It didn't sound like a question. Nova settled her feet into a comfortable ready position and waited.   
  
The cat stroked his chin. "It don't bother me, see, exceptin' yore interferin' with things you ain't got no business bein' int'rested in. What's someone like you doin' protectin' that pesky emperor, anyways? Didn't think that guy had any friends at all."  
  
"I don't like Heartless," she said. That was true.  
  
"Hmm." Pete grunted. Shrugged. "Well, if you wanna go stickin' your nose in other people's business, ya gotta expect what's comin' to ya, consequential-wise."  
  
"I'd say the same to you," came the dry reply. Nova's spear didn't waver. She risked a glance up to the top of the little hill behind her: a few people had ejected out of the diner, but wisely kept their distance. This needed to end before someone got hurt; her own aches twinged at her. "You should leave," she said, again.   
  
"Heh. Sure will. And I'll be takin' that there llama along, too. I got big plans fer it." The grin came back, wicked and dripping with mischief. Pete put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.   
  
Piercing sound shrieked around the clearing, bounced up the large tree holding the diner in place, and ricocheted over their heads to assault a muffled silence made of green, growing things. Birds scattered. Noisy riots of color burst out of the trees all at once, a flurry of feathers and wings, fast enough and hard enough to make an unexpected gale.   
  
Nova twisted and raised her elbow into a shield, eyes watering. Leaves and dirt blasted out in one heavy sweep while whip-thin twigs snaked across and tore through her clothes and skin.   
  
Pete stood at ease against the squall. He smirked; gestured: "Sure wouldn't like to be in your shoes right about now," he said.  
  
The jungle recoiled as the alarm faded. Air dropped like a stone, humid and suffocating. True quiet skipped inside ragged remains of sound, bigger and broader with every step. Until-  
  
Angry rumbling quickly turned to a stampede: the ground trembled to life. "What is it?" Nova yelled against the rising earthquake.  
  
Pete hollered right back, positively smug: "Biggest Heartless I could find on this here puny world," he chortled. "Not a lotta darkness here, but so's you know, there's not a lotta light, either. Good luck, sucker! Nyah hah hah hah!"  
  
A rolling ball of _something_ exploded out from the jungle as he laughed. It spun quick into a high leap before it dove fast and smashed the ground between them, digging claws raised high. More guffaws burped shut with a _snap!_ of surprise: Pete tumbled on his backside as its spiny tail thrashed into him. "Hey!" he shouted. "Watch where you're aimin' that thing."   
  
Nova dropped into a crouch. Dull, glowing eyes stared up at the restaurant; flicked towards her.   
  
_Not good._  
  
One was always easier to control than a crowd. And this rodent-like Heartless towered over her with its heavy armor plating: at some unconscious signal, it reared back to display a familiar red and black heart splashed across its muted blue belly before the symbol vanished underneath another booming thud as it landed. Flexible plates covering its back in a large, hardened shell. More yellow armor spiked down the length of its lean, shadowed snout. Dark red claws bit deep grooves into the dirt, ready to dig; ready to fight.   
  
_This will be unpleasant._  
  
Her nose itched. Nova ignored the complaining Pete, all of her attention fixed on the new threat. Darkness misted off of the Heartless in visible waves. It looked strong, but, if its master couldn't manage it very well, that gave her an opening.   
  
"Fine," she muttered. Better some chance than none. "Let's see what you've got."

__________________________________________________________________________

Another terrific _crash!_ rocked the restaurant. The pause in whatever was going on outside hadn't lasted very long at all: more wobbles shook dust from the rafters in a soft, sneeze-inducing rain. Selphie tried to hold her breath, and yelped as the pinching fingers pressed down harder. "Kronk!" Yzma yelled. "What are you doing?"  
  
His chef's hat hadn't even tipped sideways in the ruckus. "Well, I mean I'm getting these orders out." The muscled minion gave his partner a good-natured smile before he brushed debris off the top of a stack of offerings on the takeout counter. "Kind of important, case you hadn't noticed." A bell rang. "Order up!"   
  
_Oof_. Two heaping dishes of crispy fried tubers steamed in overfull baskets. Those looked _good_. Selphie had lost track of her own lunch and missed it fiercely. "Can I get something to go?" She tried to look pathetic and hopeful at the same time. Whenever they finished the Heartless off, she'd eat anything, right on the spot.  
  
Nails dug in: Yzma's glare burned the air between them to a crisp.   
  
"Oh, hi there, Selphie." Kronk waved on his way the prep table, cheerfully oblivious. "What brings you in here?"  
  
"Kronk- _augh!_" Yzma's other hand fished for something to squeeze and break. "We've been here less than an hour and you're already cooking. Stop doing that this instant and help me with this brat."  
  
"Sure, but, uh..." he paused and scratched his head. Dough dribbled off the sides of an overfull mixing bowl. "Help you do what now?'  
  
Selphie crossed her arms and shrugged at the hand. It didn't fix her problem, but she felt better for trying. The window was _so_ close. "Yeah," she said. "Help you do what now?"  
  
"We're all listening, honey." The waitress that had followed them into the kitchen stared at Yzma too, deadpan gaze half-lidded.   
  
They all gaped back. Then Selphie squeaked again as Yzma pulled her in close and wrapped her bony hand around her other shoulder. "Why- why listening for what?" The purple scary lady twittered, and spun her captive audience around. "All I promised was a- a sweet treat!"  
  
_Ew_. Selphie grimaced and tried to pull away. Claws held her fast: Yzma's pinched face stretched like dried fruit as she smiled. "Just tell me where the talking llama is," she said, "and Kronk will make you his most famous dessert. Isn't that..." the purple scary lady frowned to the side; her voice dropped several degrees "..._right_, Kronk?"  
  
He brightened. "Oh yeah, sure. I make a mean chocolate tart." The minion-turned-chef bent over to dig under the large prep table. "Hang on, I have the stuff for it somewhere around here-"   
  
"Kronk."  
  
"-hah! Found them." A giant armful of raw ingredients spilled out onto the blue-green tablecloth: he picked up a small red one and waved it at them. "You know, this may not look like a great idea, but hot chili peppers can really add something to the flavor-"  
  
"_KRONK!_" Skinny, tight fingers spurred Selphie against the nearby wall. "Stop that and listen to me!"  
  
"But I thought you wanted dessert?"  
  
Another, bigger shudder shook the tree: everyone caught their balance as cascades of colorful fruit and vegetables tumbled to the floor while tons of utensils and dishes scattered after.   
  
Yzma didn't seem to notice. Or she didn't care. _Whatever_.   
  
Selphie needed to leave. Pacha and Kuzco had gotten away, she was pretty sure she didn't need to be a distraction any more. And, worse, the feeling of darkness outside had only gotten _stronger_ the longer she'd stood around: all her friends couldn't have fled far without running into even more trouble. Her teacher was out there fighting by herself, probably, and everyone inside was acting like... like... "What about the Heartless?" she scowled. "We're gonna have dessert _now?_"  
  
"Heartless?" Yzma straightened up like she'd been stabbed. "The Heartless are here?" Her voice rose several octaves, scratched the ceiling. "That no good lummox, Pete- what is he doing, interfering with my plans?"  
  
"Aw, he probably just stopped by for another visit." Kronk seemed as unconcerned as ever. He whisked out a knife and started chopping. Peppers flew to the side, neatly sliced. "I mean, we were a little rude, the last time."  
  
"It was the middle of the night, and _I_ haven't forgiven _him_. Now-" Yzma shook her fist "-here." A small vial of a reddish-pink liquid appeared out of some invisible pocket. It glowed a little: seemed to sparkled even, as she tossed it at him. "I need to see what is happening. You use this. Add it to the-" her smile included all of her teeth and clipped on the last "-treat."  
  
"Uh. You sure?" Kronk caught the small bottle with his oven mitt, then held it away with a weird look. "That's not gonna-"  
  
Yzma scowled: "No. There's only one person I need... removed," she lowered her voice and smiled again. "I'm sure you'll wait for me, won't you my dear? We still need to... _talk_."   
  
_No_. "What _is_ that?" Selphie wondered after the vial. _Is that magic?_ Then she shook herself and used the motion to grab the handle of her jump rope tight. "Who's Pete? Is he with the Heartless?" _Someone's with the Heartless?_  
  
"A pest. No one important. Now Kronk-" Yzma maneuvered behind her captive; shoved her forward "-you watch her."  
  
"Watch her do what?"  
  
Steam visibly rose off of Yzma's head. "_Keep her from leaving_," she hissed.   
  
"Oh."  
  
The scary purple lady retracted her long nails and ran out the kitchen door without another word.  
  
Everyone blinked; sighed. A different kind of _slam!_ rattled the restaurant from the other side of the building as the front door gave under pressure.  
  
The waitress with the red bow waited until the aftershocks smoothed out before she fluffed her apron and asked, as serious as ever: "Can I get you anything, hon?"   
  
"Uh." Selphie couldn't think of anything at all, except: "I have to get outside." Then: "Hey, wait, Kronk, is that magic? Real magic?"

He looked at the strange red potion. "Oh, this? Just an enchantment. The kind you drink. A kind of liquid water you drink. Like water." He paused, and finished: "Except magic."   
  
"What's it do?" She decided to ignore the fuss and got straight to the point. _Easier that way._  
  
"Well, according to the label, this one turns whoever drinks it into a squirrel. Not a bad idea. Great for practicing your, uh, squirrel." Kronk squinted at it before handing it over. "Pretty sure that's right. The labels get a little mixed up sometimes. Not judging or anything: it's just how it is."  
  
Selphie took the potion and examined it. "Wow," she said. "The only kind I've ever used are all for healing." That was the only thing anyone had ever made on the islands, anyway. She hadn't tried to find more in Wonderland: with all the nonsense around, that would have been a Bad Idea.   
  
_Speaking of..._ "How do you change back?"  
  
"Yzma keeps all of her potions stocked up in the secret lab. Pretty sure I saw a human one in there." He stuck his tongue out and made a line of marks in the air. "Lions, tigers, bears... human, yep. She's got human."  
  
"Llama?"  
  
"We-ell, yeah. But, uh-" Kronk bent down to whisper "-don't tell anyone else. It's 'need to know'."  
  
"You're fine, honey." The waitress waved it off from across the room. "No one'll hear it from me."  
  
Selphie opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "So, if there was a talking llama," she continued, "and it _used_ to be a person, they could just drink another potion and be better."  
  
"Yeah. That'll do it."  
  
"Nice. Um." She closed her hand into a fist and looked back and forth between the two. "I gotta go," she said. "Is that... okay?"  
  
"You do what you need to, hon." The waitress waved her off as another _thump!_ from the back of the tree rattled the eaves. More dishes cracked on their way to the floor. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear without flinching; brushed dust from the side of her very tall hair. "Not the first time we've had a mess to clean up. The cheese flood of '05 was a riot, let me tell you."  
  
"It wasn't pretty," agreed Kronk. As if he knew.  
  
The world had gotten very weird all of a sudden. "Sure. Um." Selphie stepped backwards towards the storage room. Yzma had gone out the main kitchen door: her best escape was the opposite direction. That was all right: she wanted to jump out of the window, anyway. "Can I take this, too?" she held up the vial.  
  
"Well, I was supposed to give it to you," Kronk said with a smile and a wave. He started chopping again: the knife flashed to a blur. "Just don't forget to come back in time for dessert."  
  
"Okay. Uh." The waitress was waving too. _So weird._ "Thanks," Selphie said, to both of them. Then she spun on her heel and dove for her escape. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Nova slid to a crashing halt against the gigantic tree. She heard something crack! in protest, and firmly told herself she didn't as soon as breath gasped back into her lungs and cleared the fuzzy haze in her head. Light spun in crazy circles: she slid to a heap and watched the sky slowly tip upright.  
  
_This isn't working._  
  
The Heartless had too much protection. Even with Pete controlling it- _especially_ with Pete controlling it -she only had few openings to drive her spear into.  
  
_Sora. Your mom's a little... stuck, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. I'm trying._  
  
Was she?  
  
_Yes_.  
  
She was trying. As hard as she could; to be as safe as she could. It wouldn't help her son to become a monster of darkness like the one in front of her.   
  
_Or worse..._  
  
Nova pulled herself back to her feet with effort. It _hurt_: her legs shook until they stood, and trembled even after that. A quick _curaga_ would have helped: two or three would have rammed all the strength right back into her body. Instead, she forced herself to straighten; to bend over and grab the haft of her spear without falling the rest of the way; to lift herself back up and benefit her enemy with the view of her determined stance, ready and waiting. She _was_ ready.   
  
She had to be.  
  
Pete was busy laughing again: it died into a curious: "Eh?" the moment he bothered to notice her. "Lady, I'd advise you ta' take the better part o' plannin' and scram, see?" He _tsked_ and threw his thumb over his shoulder, "'less you wanna let my Heartless friend here stomp ya flatter n' a pancake."  
  
"Is than an offer?" Nova felt a ghost of old humor and coughed out a laugh. It was an approximate at best: strangled and stiff despite her best intentions. She missed how much easier everything had been before... everything. "I don't think you can stop that thing from trying anyway, Pete. Are you sure it's listening to you?"  
  
His lip curled up. "Whaddya mean, 'Is it listenin' ta' me'?" He slapped the Heartless on its armor shell. "'course it listens ta' me. I'm in charge, see?"   
  
Dull yellow eyes flicked over to him. The Heartless reared up on its hind legs.  
  
"Whoa-yo-you stop that right now, ya hear me?" Pete backed up with a frenzied shooing motion. Then he pointed at the ground. "Down, ya stinkin', good-fer-nothin' Heartless. Down!"  
  
The pointed head came forward. It wavered; started to descend.  
  
Nova rammed her spear right through the heart-shaped symbol on its chest.  
  
Darkness roiled off the creature in a blast that tore through everything and everyone at once. Pete tumbled end-over-end, yowling. Nova felt her grip slip on her weapon and missed the lunge to retrieve it. All of a sudden, she flew backwards and curled tight, braced for the worst-  
  
_WHAM!_  
  
The impact split sound out of shock as it rippled down her body. Waves of noise dulled to a low thrum with a spike of pain that crashed at the end: loud, and violent. It jerked her into a graceless heap at the foot of the large tree, once more tumbled to a stop, half upright and gasping. every small movement a minor dissonance out of tune with the rest. Red faded with a bright flash of a crystalline heart that disappeared into wisps of black smoke.  
  
Nova opened her eyes in a daze and blinked out sparks. She couldn't tell how much time had passed. Her gaze swam upward into the leafy canopy, then dropped to the large silver shoes sulking in front of her.  
  
"Lady, I dunno what your doin' here," said a familiar rumble, "but you gots to know, I ain't gonna stand for interferin' from you or nobody." More pain blasted white-hot outrage: Nova cried out as Pete grabbed the front of her shirt and lifted her into the air. Her hands shook as they hardly made a circle around his thick wrist, but they tried anyway.   
  
She was trying anyway. She tried.   
  
"Now we gots ta do this the hard way, see?" He grinned, nasty and wide.   
  
"_PETE!_"   
  
A new scream shattered space into a thousand pieces. Everyone flinched at once: Nova grunted as the arm holding her jerked around; more spangles jotted around the backside of her eyelids as her captor seemed to forget what he was doing and spun towards the new threat. "Whazzat- Yzma?" he flailed.  
  
The distinctly female voice bellowed at them again from the other side of the big tree, near the restaurant entrance. "I know you're out there," she shrieked. "Get over here right now, you insufferable, interfering brute!"  
  
Nova stared at Pete. He met her gaze, just as confused.  
  
Then-  
  
"Hey!" An onion smacked into the back of his head: Nova watched it _plunk!_ with a hollow sound against tree bark. Selphie was sliding down after it, hurtling madly to the ground as her fist raised up again: something pink flashed inside a small glass. "You leave my friend alone!" she yelled.  
  
And threw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +5 internet points to whoever correctly guesses what happens next.
> 
> Also, welcome back! I added my twitter (@aeskah) to my profile, in case you'd like to see how infrequently I update social media.  
Oh, and #blacklivesmatter and stay indoors if you can for COVID-19, because neither of those things have stopped being important.
> 
> Links:  
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/  
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
> 
> Side Note: Going to start a change log, because it is inevitable that a few things are going to get tweaked after posting and I should just give up trying to pretend it will be perfect at first blush. Or feeling bad about making changes.
> 
> I mean, it's not going to be perfect, because the entire piece is not done and I am bound to run into places that need tweaking as we go forward. It's a living, breathing story still growing out, after all. 
> 
> Do please be aware that I am doing my best to avoid needing any... er... _substantial_ adjustments after post.
> 
> I haven't decided if the log is going to be its own document or not, yet. Probably will be. I've got scads of notes that -might- be interesting to read, too, so... hmmm...
> 
> Change Log: Chapter 14 and 20 (minor word adjustments); Chapter 21 (reposted for minor rewrite)


	23. The Empire of the Sun: Part VII

Selphie's jump rope couldn't have reached far enough. Not in time.

In time for _what_ she didn't know, but seeing her teacher hurt and dragged around by the angry looking cat-guy- Pete? -wasn't right. So, she'd done the only thing she could think of doing: pulled the stopper with her teeth and thrown it right at his stupid head.

The vial spiraled out. Broken glass _crunched_ in a flash of pink clouds and sizzly bits of fireworks. It was a solid hit, she was sure... except _everyone_ vanished in the haze.

Her heart pushed up her throat hard enough to choke. Selphie tumbled to a stop at the foot of the tree and rushed over-

-only to stick her feet out and slide to an ungraceful halt right on her rump.

"Whazzat about there, ya' pipsqueak?" An evil chuckle rippled out from behind clearing smoke. The hulking cat appeared: unchanged. He snorted at the cloud, made a face, and sneezed before he wiped his nose and groused: "Ya tryin' ta' do somethin' funny?" 

Selphie stared at him.

All she could do was stare.

Nova's spear had fallen to the ground with a dull _clang!_ and rolled into her sandal. The spade at the top made a hard divot in the dirt while the thin black shaft shot out from it in a line, past her foot and towards the torn edges of jungle off to the side.

She stared into green until her eyes watered; until they swam back to gape at blue overalls and black fur. To the thing she still couldn't understand.

He'd dodged. Or turned. Somehow...

_How'd he move so fast?_

Pete grinned with pride and smacked his chest with one oversized thumb. "Well it ain't gonna work, see?"

"I don't know about that," a higher-pitched, smaller voice chimed in from nearby.

"Wha'-?"

A red squirrel with unruly brown hair sat on the top of his head. It noticed him noticing, and- just like that -bounced down onto his arm and bit.

"Yow-hoo-hoo!"

The big cat jumped and waved and sent his attacker flying. Selphie leaned over without a second thought, instinct suddenly screaming at her to move, move, _move!_ Elbows burned as she caught the small bundle in a flat rush across the ground. "Are you okay?" She yelled, then winced. "No, you're not okay." Her hands were clenched in a tight nest around the small creature, unsure how to hold it or keep it in place or- "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry Miss Nova, I didn't mean it!"

A large fluffy tail unspooled. Nova peeked out from between her tiny squirrel hands, caught a glimpse of them, and made a noise. "It's like training Wart all over again," she sighed.

"What?"

"Hey!" Pete stomped forwards. "You'll pay for that you little twerp."

Nova shimmied up an arm and onto her shoulder faster than a thought. "Run!" she shouted. "Quick!" It popped out as a funny, high-pitched squeak that would have been enough to make Selphie giggle if everything hadn't been so serious all at once.

She scrambled to her feet and dodged, just as Pete made a grab for both of them. He howled and tumbled to the ground. Selphie dove behind him for the spear and missed; faltered. "Wait, but what about-"

"No time!" Small talons latched onto her shoulder: somehow sharper but less painful than the last set that had dug in.

"But your-"

"Get away first. Figure it out later." A pointed paw pinched. "Let's go."

"Ow! O-okay."

__________________________________________________________________________

Kuzco yelped as if he'd been stung by a bee. He made a sound like: "Eeeezu-mah..." around the hand suddenly clamped over his muzzle. The llama rolled his eyes over at his assailant and snorted: "Wha-oo-sink-ur-doo-een" in a high temper and tried to buck free.

Pacha rammed them both into the curve of the rustic staircase they'd landed next to, as deep into the shadows as they could go. Two levels of decking had been built into the side of the tree, right up to where one very large root hooked into the trunk. Carved steps ran above them, down the length of the root and straight to the foot of the dirt path that wrapped around the restaurant. They were standing on the lower tier: out of sight, but not by much.

If Yzma bothered to turn around, they'd be spotted, no problem. They were already too loud to miss, if whatever pitched battle happening at the bottom of the hill hadn't been much, much louder.

Someone hollered: even more noises shot up over the hill behind it. Pacha frowned and let out a handful and a half of his attention to hold the thrashing emperor in place. The remainder paced the scary woman from the diner as she tromped down the path around their position.

He got a swift kick in the side for his trouble. "Ouch!" he hissed. Glared. "Watch it! I'm trying to save you, you know."

The llama stopped struggling. He spat instead. "Are not!"

Something wet smacked his foot. Pacha straightened up and pointed at the scary woman's retreating back. She looked _very_ angry, with each round knob of her spine stiffened into a hard arc on her back. His voice rumbled with his own rising temper: "That lady and her friend are _not_ here to help you," he said.

"Kronk's here too? Oh, I never thought I'd be happy to see that big idiot." Kuzco ignored everything important and danced in place.

"That's not-"

"Hey look, you got a pass. They'll take me back to the palace and change me back." He patted the arm surrounding him and ducked underneath. Yzma had made it to the clearing at the bottom of the hill; Kuzco started after her. "I mean, you can come with to find the bodyguards, because they've obviously gotten lost somewhere or they'd be here by now, but after that? We're good."

Pacha grabbed before the llama could flee. It was like fighting a fish on a line, except he'd caught a clueless emperor without anything convenient to hook into except his own borrowed poncho-made-dress. Sturdy green fabric twisted in a tight grip; he heaved it backwards and clenched his teeth: "Trust me, they're not here to save you."

"Oh, c'mon. It's easy peasey. Like I said. " Kuzco squirmed free of the clothing as quick as he'd been pinned. Almost sincerity shrugged off with a quick shake of fur and a flick of a tail. " I mean, thanks for all your help. You've been great, buuut I'll take it from here."

"No, no, you don't understand, they're trying to _kill_ you."

"Kill me? Their whole world revolves around me." The llama tossed Pacha's hat back at him with a lazy scoff.

"But-"

"Yeah, thanks and whatever, see ya, bye-eee."

"No, I can't let you!" The big man moved fast. He pulled the llama back with a fierce hug, desperate strength etched into the lines on his face.

Kuzco stumbled; shoved free. "What? Wha- oh." Surprise turned to disgust. "Wait a minute," he said. A lip twisted into a short laugh: "I get it."

"What?"

"You don't want to take me back to the palace." Suspicion turned sideways: Kuzco danced out of another grab. "You want to keep me stranded out here forever."

"What- no!" Pacha threw out his arms in frustration as the llama shied away. "Why would I want to do that?"

"This has all been an act and I almost fell for it."

"Will you just listen to me-"

"No. _No._ You listen to _me_." Kuzco's eyes narrowed. His fur puffed in outrage, any sense of fondness fled. "All you care about is your stupid _hilltop_," he said. "You don't care about me. Now just get out of here."

"But-"

"Go on, get out of here!"

"And go _where_?" Pacha pointed down the hill as the end of his finger trembled. "You saw that... that big _thing_ that was down there." Even from a distance, it had looked _mean_. "I'd run straight into another Heartless like that or a whole pack of those ants. How selfish can you be?"

"Fine. _I'll_ leave." The llama gave him a mocking bow. Then he made a deliberate change in direction and started down the hill. "I've got people to see," he said with a sniff.

"Arrrgh- fine."

"Fine."

"_Fine_," Pacha chased down the last word under his breath with: "Why did I ever think a selfish brat like you could change?"

The llama flicked a dismissive ear as he walked away.

__________________________________________________________________________

"Why-I-oughta-" Pete swung blind at the dust cloud and howled as he came up with empty air. "You pipsqueaks better not come back!"

The jungle ignored his threats. After a moment of shaking his fist, he crossed his arms and muttered: "Doggone no good interferin' types. Probably more mouseketeers out meddlin' for that there pokey king o' theirs. Who asked for 'em, anyways?"

Pete glared at the tangled thicket of undergrowth surrounding him and whistled at it again. More dull, yellow eyes reappeared at the noise and wove around: pairs of sickly fireflies tacked to shadows deeper than the shade cast from sun, small globes of opaque light plopped on top of pools of thick black glop. A small group separated from the pack and resolved into a cluster of ants skittering at the edge of the sunlit circle of cleared brush. "You guys track down them two and find that llama," he ordered the Heartless.

"Find _what_ now?"

"Uh-oh," Pete said out loud, then cringed. He turned, slowly. "H-hey Yzma."

The woman had stopped in front of him, lithe and bristling angry. Her foot tapped the ground, while half of her face bent into a wide, incisive smile. "What, pray tell, are you doing here?" she purred.

"Oh. Uhh..." he scratched the top of his head. "Just tryin' ta help, is all. Found some twerps helping out your emperor what shouldn't."

"I see." Breath hissed out. "And the llama?"

"Well, I ain't seen 'im-"

"Of course you haven't seen him, you fool. You've let those Heartless run all over the place and ruined everything!" Her voice rose higher and higher, thin needles dragged upwards across a hard surface until they broke over the top in a volume-cracking _screech!_ "If it weren't for your meddling, Kuzco would be _dead_ now."

"Well, I-"

A bony fist bunched the crossed straps across his chest and lifted. Darkness wisped off the blurring edges of her form as Yzma's anger burned the hair off of his nose. Phantom shadows lashed the air around them both, agitated and circling. "_I_ will track that llama down, and _I_ will kill him, and I don't need any help from _you_."

"Aw. No need to be like that, now. Ol' Pete's just tryin' ta' make it easy for ya, see?" He smiled wide as a hint of sweat trickled off his brow. "You gotta get be yer own genu-eine Empress instead of that good-fer-nothin' that was on the throne afore you."

"Obviously!"

"Well, so," He flung out an arm at the sky. "Ain't that what ya want?"

Something drained out: pooled in a crack and vanished as time ticked onwards. Shadows melted from Yzma in droves. The glare that returned to threaten him tempered into a color closer to disdain. "_Fine_," she said. Her fist stopped digging; fingers straightened with a popping _crackle_. "Tell me why I should let the Heartless help me. Tell me why I need _you_."

"Well, uh..." he scratched his head again. "Them shadows can find a body anywhere there's darkness."

"I don't want him turned into a Heartless," she glowered. "I want him _dead_."

"Well, shore ya do. But that won't be any trouble at all, long as I'm controllin' 'em." Pete whistled a third time. Leaves rustled in response; more ants scurried over to click and pace restlessly in front of him. He snapped his fingers and smirked: all movement stopped, save for the sporadic twitching every Heartless seemed to have and couldn't help. "Ya see?"

"Huh." Yzma left him to stalk around the cluster. She kicked at one experimentally with her foot, and watched as it flinched but didn't attack. A snort hacked out of her thin frame. "Are you sure they'd bring Kuzco to me alive?"

"Sure. Long as I ask 'em." A sly grin slid over his face. "Or, you could ask 'em, if ya like."

"Now why would I put myself at risk of the darkness when you're volunteering?" 

"Well, uh..."

"No. No, this is perfect. _Perfect_, don't you see?" Yzma's sudden enthusiasm bowled over half the Heartless in the clearing; she ignored them and pirouetted on her toes with glee. "We'll get that little brat to tell us where she last saw Kuzco. Then you'll send the Heartless out to retrieve him. And when he gets here- o-ho-ho-" her voice trailed off into a fit of giggles before it slapped silence away with an indelicate scream. "Finally!" She crowed. "The empire will finally be mine!"

"Sure will."

"But before I do-" she whirled and faced him "What do you get out of this... arrangement? What is it you want?"

"Oh. More o' these, is all," he said, and flicked his fingers out. All Heartless disappeared in a whirl of darkness. "I can always use more- less you don't want me takin' 'em off your hands?"

"You want more of- bah! Of course you do." Yzma sniffed. She waved an imperious hand. "As long as you remove them from _my_ empire, I don't care what you do with your shadows."

A crafty light gleamed in Pete's eyes. "Deal," he said.

__________________________________________________________________________

"What do I do, what do I do?" Kuzco shivered and tucked himself into a shadow- a _normal_ shadow -under cover, as far as he could go. "Yzma tried to kill me. Yzma tried to _kill_ me. _Me_." His whisper trickled off as the vengeful duo swept past his position.

They didn't even glance to the side.

He'd jumped into some bushes as soon as his former councilor had started shouting. Now he crept as fast as he could around the clearing, as far away from danger as he could. "What do I do, what do I do- wha?"

A spot of bright, fluorescent green shone out of all the other vivid greens of the wrecked jungle floor. Kuzco stooped to pick it up and frowned. "Rubber chew toy?"

His head snapped around: "Bodyguards!" he shouted, then clamped both front hooves over his mouth.

Neither conspirator bothered to look behind them.

Kuzco wheeled and galloped away.

__________________________________________________________________________

"What do I do, what do I do..." Pacha muttered. He was trapped in his hiding spot, now. Shoes clattered over the narrow stairs above; he flattened further to the ground and listened as hard as he could.

There was no need for stealth. "Where is that idiot?" Yzma's voice drilled out in every direction, pointed and clear, even through the heavy tree root. She made an exasperated noise and yelled louder: "Kronk!"

One of the double doors _thwapped_ open a moment later. "Oh, hey Yzma." The other man from the restaurant seemed pleasant in comparison. "You know, I just finished- oh hey, Pete! Are you staying for dessert this time?"

"Oh? Whadya got- oof!" a deep voice rumbled, cut off short. That was the big guy Pacha had seen skulking after Yzma. A big _cat_. Had she turned him into that?

"No dessert!" The woman's voice cut in, imperious. "Where's the little brat?"

"Oh, you mean Selphie?" Pacha dug his hands into the ground and held his breath. A blade of grass tickled his nose: rich hints of chocolate seeped out of the open restaurant doors and mixed with heavy, loamy earth. Someone above made uncomfortable noises. "Well, she'll be back soon, I guess," Kronk supplied, eventually. "But, don't you worry, Yzma, she took your potion, too. I know you, uh, wanted her to have it."

"How... thoughtful."

"Waitasec... you talkin' 'bout that pipsqueak that jumped outta th' tree onta me?" Pete broke out into a vicious chuckle. "She threw some kinda thing and caught her friend innit instead a yours truly. Didn't know you had that many options outside'a llama fer shapechangin', Yzma."

"I have many I am _sure_ I can introduce to you if you don't start doing something _useful_ for a change." Wood thumped under thin heels as they swung the other way in a frenzy. "Why did you let them go? They could have led us to the llama!"

The root rattled sideways as Kronk tried not to topple off. "Oh. Well, I-"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll find 'em eventually, Yzma." Pete drawled. "Even if we gots ta search the whole world, he can't hide forever."

"That's a pointless waste of time. He can't have gotten that far."

"You know, uh, we should try that peasant's village next," Kronk said. "You know, the guy who was sitting next to Selphie? He's gone, too, but maybe he lives around here."

Pacha got a mouthful of the tickly grass as he closed it around a cry. He was, thankfully, ignored.

The advice, however, was not. Yzma seemed pleased. "That's... an unusually good idea coming from you, Kronk," she said. "All right, we'll search for that peasant's home: it has to be somewhere around here." Her voice turned strident. "Pete, send out your Heartless. Find that little brat and her squirrel friend. Or Kuzco, wherever he's hiding. That's a simple enough task, I'm sure you can manage it."

"Simple, eh?"

"Aren't you the one with masterful control over those things? I'm certain it will be quite simple. For _you_."

"Hmph."

All the appropriate feet clomped away: meeting dismissed. Two pairs made quick time at the road. The other stopped as soon as it started; a sinister chuckle drifted down from the front of the diner. "Wonder how long I can keep Yzma chasin' her tail around this here jungle?" Pete mused.

Pacha crawled backwards out of the grass as fast as he could. Well out of sight of the big cat, he jumped up and started running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, yeah. These two.  
Dragon Prince influence incoming: if you read "Rubber chew toy?" like Callum says "Boomerang?", that's about the inflection. 
> 
> I never understood why Yzma saved the potions until the end of the movie. Probably to spare the animation team.  
Er... sorry, Nova. We're not running with that kind of budget shortfall. 
> 
> +5 internet points for a correct guess, Takua! I'm not sure what people spend these things on anymore... _ever_... hmm... XD


	24. The Empire of the Sun: Part VIII

"Oh, man. C'mooooon, stop moving around."

Unremarked by anyone, the figure in the black cloak lounged at ease on the sloped roof of the restaurant. A handy side of crispy fried tubers nestled into the thatch at their side. Complaints mixed with an audible _crunch_: one bite at a time vanished underneath the dark hood at every opportunity. "I just sat down," they muttered. "Aw, maaaaaan..."

The figure reached for more and tipped over the empty basket instead. Another noise flopped out: they dusted their gloves together and cracked all knuckles into a long, unhappy stretch before wilting even further. "How long is this gonna take?"

A hum started below: a jaunty little tune, as Pete snapped his fingers and waited. Little globes of darkness answered his summons, each swirling with a faint, unpleasant glow before they stretched and dropped. Several Heartless settled on the ground in front of him, all shaped like more big, black cats, but different: these were sleek and dangerous with sharp claws and sharp teeth.

Their master chuckled again. "Are right ya lazy mugs," Pete bellowed. "Yer job is ta find me a llama and bring 'im back here." He rubbed his hands together with glee. "Let 'er wander 'round all over the place for a while. I'll bag me an emperor, and maybe make her wait eee-ven longer. Maleficent's sure ta' be happy about the new addition. Right, Yzma?" He threw his head back and gave the situation the big, broad, belly laugh it deserved. "NYA HA HA HA HAAAA!"

His audience whimpered. "Seriously? No way, not gonna happen. I'm not waiting around. Waaay too much work, sheesh."

Heartless vanished in a blur at some unspoken cue, streaking off into the trees as if gravity didn't exist. Leaves and colorful flowers barely parted to the darkness flowing through. Pete let his long, drawn-out laugh trail off as the last shadow spirited itself away. "S'pose I can get sommat ta eat first," he mused, and tromped into the diner. "Somethin' smells mighty tasty."

"Sure does," replied the figure, wistfully.

A heavy, noisy sigh belched out of the dark cloak. They rolled over onto their back, head pillowed on crossed arms behind the concealing cowl, and muttered: "I guess he's staying put. But now I've got, like, three- four- _five_ other people? Six? Would it kill 'em all to be in the same place for once? Man, I am _not_ cut out for this gig."

Birds chirped. Clouds drifted across the sky in big handfuls of puffy fuzz. Grease, chicken, and vague hints of chocolate wafted out of the open windows of the restaurant. A small voice chimed "order up!" while the clatter and hum of a busy diner rose to match.

A near visible idea rocked the figure upright all at once. "Okay, new plan," they said, and snapped their fingers. "Everyone gets together, and I kick back and watch the show. These guys all want to find each other anyway, so it's no big deal. Yeah."

They stood up and gestured a dark portal open. "I mean, I guess it's more stupid work, but it sure beats breaking a _real_ sweat. I'm already gross enough as it is: stupid jungle."

__________________________________________________________________________

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Their mad, crazy dash skittered to a blinding halt: Selphie sputtered into the next little clearing at a fraction of her normal speed and bent over all at once, hands on her knees. Dust and leaves spattered the backs of her legs. "What...about... Pacha? And- and Kuzco?" she gasped. Her heart hadn't stopped running when she did and she couldn't seem to catch her breath-

"Easy. Slow." A small hand patted her cheek. Nova blinked one bright eye at her from her shoulder and chittered: "Take your time."

"But- but we have to go back for our friends!"

The squirrel formerly known as her teacher made a face and picked at the large, fluffy tail tucked into a neat, bushy fan behind her. "This isn't helping," she said, voice dry. "I can't do a thing about Pete like this."

"No, but-" Selphie swallowed; straightened. Then she offered her hand and brought the little creature around to her face. "Please," she said. "We have to try. They want to _kill_ Kuzco."

"Who does?"

"Yzma. And- and her friend, the big guy, Kronk. That's what Yzma said."

"The same Yzma that was supposed to help Kuzco?"

"Yeah. And us. She showed up. In the diner." Selphie wiped her cheek with a dirty fist and winced at the scrapes. "Both Pacha and I heard her talking when you were in the kitchen. And she had the changing potion, the one that made you..." she faltered, then grimaced and moved on "...I bet she's the one that made Kuzco a llama."

Tiny paws drummed on her open palm. "That could be," said Nova, slowly.

"So, we gotta find them. I just don't know what to do... after? I know we gotta change you back. And Kuzco. And take care of the Heartless-"

"And _Pete_-"

"-but we can't lock the world to keep 'em out without a Keyblade, so..."

Nova shook her head. "It wouldn't keep them out, anyway. Having some darkness is natural for a world. And-" the squirrel hunched over and hugged her tiny squirrel body with her tiny squirrel arms, shivering "-it's not a good idea to lock a heart," she said.

_Why not?_ It was too humid and hot to be cold. "But I thought Sora did that for Wonderland."

"He did. But that's a last resort, Selphie. It should _always_ be a last resort. It's the last thing you do to save a world when nothing else is working: when it's the only way to save it from falling."

"Okay?" She didn't understand. She hoped it showed.

A small thrill of victory bloomed up and quickly got quashed. "Staying locked is not..." Nova flinched and stared down for a moment: a very long, very quiet moment. Then she finished, at a dead whisper: "It's not good for a heart to be locked."

"Why not?"

Silence stretched. And stretched. Secrets pushed at the seams. Finally, Nova said: "Because it isn't."

Then she hopped off of her perch and scrambled up the side of a nearby tree, movements hitching back and forth, awkward and stuttering. The red tail streamed after her in a blur.

"Hey," Selphie flinched backwards at the sudden movement; reached out: "Hey, no, wait-"

Nova stopped briefly on the lowest branch and pointed, "Looks like our trail is easy enough to follow. The restaurant is this way."

_Back to sounding normal._ Selphie bit off a noise of frustration. "Hey, wait a minute-" she tried.

As quick as that, they were off and running again. She had to stumble forwards and try to keep her teacher in sight as the small squirrel flitted from one spot to the next. They'd gotten so far into the jungle: everything was trickling by in a blur of greens and browns and moss and vines.

A thick bunch of leaves snapped at her next push and set her tumbling backwards.

Into mud.

That was it. That was really it.

"Hey, stop! Stop! I don't get it." She really didn't. And now Selphie was hot and wet and tired and had dirty water all over her nice sandals, and couldn't stop the stinging in her eyes or the sniffles that threatened to spill out everywhere. She felt miserable and tried not to be furious: at herself or her teacher, or the scary purple lady, or Kuzco, or whatever stupid thing the world would throw at them next. It was too much, and she... "I don't get it," she wailed. "All this stuff, all of this stuff is new and weird and I screwed up and turned you into a _squirrel_ and- and you don't even care. _Why not?_"

There was a long moment where nothing happened except the rustle of trees and the _gloop-gloop-__glump_ of mud as it dripped back into the puddle it had splashed out of. Then a frantic clawing, scratching sound tumbled down: Nova dropped onto a nearby rock, slipped, and pulled herself into a seat with a weary sigh. "Because I'm tired," she said, "and it doesn't matter."

"Yes it _does_." More mud _shlorped_ under her heels as each foot suctioned up out of the puddle and floundered to a dry patch of ground. The icky stuff had spattered all the way up to her calves: Selphie grimaced and started wiping it off. Making it worse, surely, but she set her teeth and refused to care. "I turned you into a _squirrel_." She repeated herself with force. "Aren't you mad?"

Nova placed a paw on the bushy ruff of fur on her chest and clenched her fingers, as if they could pull something free. "No," she said. "A change in form doesn't change the heart. I'm still the same even if the outside isn't."

Something sour caught at her throat: Selphie stumped over and sat down next to her teacher with a disgusting _squelch_ following her every step. "Yeah, I get that part, I guess," she muttered. "My heart is how I feel. And I guess that doesn't change so much, maybe. But that's not really it. You've done this before, haven't you?" She looked over, and repeated herself, louder. "You've been to other worlds before."

"Well... yes."

Triumph flared. She'd figured it out on her own, sure, but it meant something to have her teacher admit to it. "Is that where you learned about all this stuff?"

"About other worlds?"

Dappled sunlight made shadows on her stinging palms. Selphie rubbed at the dirt on them. "Yeah. And hearts, and order, and all the other stuff, I guess."

A long, drawn-out sigh whistled out. "I've never been to _this_ world before, if that's what you mean. And I haven't been off the Destiny Islands since before Sora was born." Nova shook her head slowly. Her eyes were far away. "There wasn't a point to it after that."

"Why not?"

"Selphie, some things are... hard to talk about." Her teacher made a face and balled her little paws into fists. "It's hard to talk about," she admitted.

Silence hung heavy in the air. Selphie could _see_ the wall building between them again, and took a deep breath, attacking it headfirst. "I mean, you can talk to me about stuff. If you want," she leaned forward and tried to look as understanding as she could. Her curiosity had caught fire; she stuffed it down and tried not to be _too_ excited. "I'll listen."

Nova twisted her tiny hands together over and over again. Then she pinched her nose, missed, and rubbed at both eyes instead. "It's fine," she said, finally. "Thank you, but- I can't."

"Oh." Selphie tried to hide her disappointment. She bit her lip, curled a hair end around her fingers until it stung and asked, in a small voice: "Is it because I'm not strong enough?" _Because I'm not Sora?_

"What? No. If strength has anything to do with it, hah..." stray coughs hiccupped out.

Selphie stared. Was she- was her teacher _laughing_? It didn't sound happy.

But... wait. Had she _ever_ heard Nova laugh before?

_Yes_. A clear, unexpected memory trickled out: another brilliant day at the Play Island, when Nova had surprised them all by coming to collect Sora. He'd been so ecstatic, he'd tackled her into a hug and they'd both gone into the ocean and come up sputtering.

Selphie remembered the sound that came after. It had been so different and delightful: a big, broad chortle that rolled on and on. The kind of laugh that gathered up everyone around to jump right in and make more. They'd all collapsed into giggles afterward, just because, and it had been wonderful.

This wasn't wonderful.

Something else was wrong.

A noise of frustration escaped; Selphie clamped her jaw around it. _No._ She wanted to help, but, Miss Nova didn't want to talk to her. Not now.

_Not ever? _

She didn't know.

Was her teacher sad? Or- something else?

Selphie didn't know. And, it was weird to try to know the person that she'd always thought of as _Sora's_ mom. Nova was other things that mattered, things that didn't just come from being a mom, or her friend's mom. The more she learned, the more she felt those unnamed things stretch past all the parts she'd ever known and make the shape of someone else. Someone different.

She thought she might like that person.

_Maybe_.

But there was something else going on, too. Something more than being sad, or unhappy, or hurting, because Miss Nova was hardly ever any of those things; had hardly ever _been_ any of those things, even before they'd lost their home. She'd hardly ever looked happy, either. She just... didn't. It was... Selphie didn't know what it was.

But she _was_ sure of it now.

And a little embarrassed: Selphie ducked her head and winced at the memories as warmth rushed to her cheeks. Sora's mom had been a lot more things than she'd ever bothered to know, even though she'd spent countless hours in the library, working on the school newsletter, reading books, doing research; she'd loved to spend time in the place that her teacher had _always_ been in, and she'd never tried to know her at all.

_Did Sora know?_

It was... sad. There was something sad, and wrong, and Selphie didn't know what it was, but she knew about it now. If anything could help, she wanted to do... _something_.

_Would I see your heart, too?_

Oh, now she _had_ to try.

__________________________________________________________________________

Pacha stopped at the edge of the clearing and gasped.

It looked like a herd of llamas had stampeded through: the sides of the jungle had been torn out by the roots, chewed up, and spit back.

No Heartless. But a familiar black line cut across the broken ground like a strike through the heart.

Nova's spear.

Pacha picked it up and ran.

  
  


__________________________________________________________________________

"...look around" her teacher interrupted; waved to get her attention.

"Sorry. What?"

"Can you look around?" Nova repeated. She pointed. "You can practice by finding Pacha and Kuzco."

Selphie looked down at her own chest. "Practice...? Oh, my heart! I guess... yeah." She bit her lip twice before finally blurting out: "Can't you use yours?"

"I think you would benefit more from the experience." The squirrel hopped to another rock, back to her. "Try this way," the red tail flicked in what seemed like a random direction.

_Okay, but.._. Selphie frowned. "Okay, sure," she said.

_Sure._

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Tried to remember what it was like to feel that deep, musty hole where the Heartless lived. 

A knot of darkness had formed somewhere to her right. It was-

_There_.

Selphie frowned.

"There's something moving, Miss Nova," she said. _"Fast._ Over that way." She pointed at a sharp angle from where the tail had gone.

"What is it?"

"I don't know." How would she know? _I mean, I can kinda tell if it's Heartless now, I guess._ But her hold on the idea felt shaky: like if someone interrupted her while she was concentrating, the shape of what she wanted to see would float right out of her head.

She snuck a glance to the side. Tried again.

_Nope._

Sudden and crushing defeat filled her up. All light and dark puttered out into a vibrant, colorful jungle that swam in waves as she sniffed and scrubbed at her nose. She wasn't good enough. _Again_.

When she looked up from the dried mud on her sandals, Nova's grey eyes were fastened to her face. "What else did you see?"

Something inside wanted to shrink away. Selphie prodded up her courage instead, and asked: "Why can't I see your heart?"

"Ah." An ear flicked; both flattened away. Her teacher shook her head. "I told you not to try it on _me_."

_No, you didn't- I mean,_ _not really._ The mutinous thought wriggled into her tongue and tied all the things she didn't know into a single, unhappy knot: "Why not?"

Miss Nova pressed her hands between her eyes and sighed. Even so, she sounded sympathetic. "Trying to see the balance of darkness and light in a heart is the most reliable and effective method to learn. Easier than, say-" the squirrel tapped her nose with a significant nod "-but you're still new. It's like your belief in your weapon: it's best to start with something small, and uncomplicated." She swung her hands with her missing spear to demonstrate and spread them out at the end. "Rare people have the kind of faith that can push them through anything; others need to work up to it. You see?"

_Maybe._ Selphie persisted: "Okay, but you didn't say I couldn't. And why _can't_ I see you?"

"It's... one of the hard things. Have you tried Pacha or Kuzco?"

"No- um..." A quiet snort groused out. Then, she remembered how they'd met their new friends: _two little slivers of light, one brighter than the other_ "-yes." She nodded vigorously. "Yes, I've seen them."

"Good. Can you see them now?"

"Uhm..." Her nose wrinkled at the spot where she _knew_ she'd seen something before; shadows flapped and waved through the trees before Selphie glared at them and squinted harder. _C'mon, I know you're there.._. "Uhm... there's one in front of the Heartless. I think." It had been long enough since she'd tried with their friends that she wasn't sure who it was. She remembered Kuzco's heart being darker: this light bounced ahead of the boiling mess in a flashy panic. "Maybe Pacha? He looks like he's... running away?"

"Well, come on. You'd better go save him." Her teacher made a tiny jump and started clawing her way up another tree.

"Me?"

Nova paused on top of a very thick branch, framed clearly against the blue, blue sky. Stared down from inside the small, furry, squirrel body with its poofy banner tail spread behind in a wave of red.

Selphie blushed. Shame and embarrassment swam around her head; frustration and unease grumbled underneath. "Right, okay," she said. _You got this_. "Let's go."

  
  


__________________________________________________________________________

"Okay, so those guys are there- the squirrel-thing's new, but whatever- that chick's weird enough as it is-" the dark figure formed a square box between their thumb and forefinger and aimed it at the little clearing. The targets inside started moving again immediately; a groan erupted from under the hood. "C'mon, would you just cooperate or something? Stand still or- or-"

They dropped their hands; more pitiful noises whined out from an invisible throat. "I'm gonna get in _so_ much trouble for this."

Heels spun on soft dirt: the figure walked away a few paces and rubbed a gloved hand across the side of their cowl. "Unless... what X-face doesn't know won't kill me, right? Or is it, what he _knows_ won't kill- ugh. Man, this is breaking my brain."

Another portal opened. They walked through, still muttering: "And I gotta put them somewhere too, I guess. Man, I dunno. Why can't they all just do their thing and leave? So much easier than all the running around, sheesh."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been... a week. Readers, I love the hell out of you guys. It never occurred to me in my wildest, brain-breaking daydreams that this random fic of mine- which I never _ever_ expected to write as of this time last year (think I made the decision in August), would net over a thousand hits. 
> 
> I know that doesn't equate to _quite_ as many people looking at it (x squared plus y equals huh?), but I know some of you have stuck around for a while now- or maybe you're just getting started? -and I want you to know that I appreciate all the comments, kudos, subscriptions... everything. Even you, dear readers, who are waiting for the other shoe to drop before you voice an opinion (I see you), thank you for sticking it out. 
> 
> I wonder sometimes, because I can't see the effect outside of myself, whether or not I'm drawing things out too much, or making the mystery of Nova's origins _too_ mysterious for their own good. Or, for her own good, let's be honest. I'm not being very _nice_.
> 
> At the same time, I feel like I have dropped enough breadcrumbs (a whole damn loaf) that attentive readers will know where I am going with this. I also think it's better for the story to be fully open about certain things when Nova herself is ready to be open about them- which is coming up. Sooon... ish.
> 
> In the meantime, please enjoy an Org XIII favorite (who is causing problems), Nova as squirrel, and a few more vague theories on how the whole 'sensing darkness' thing works.
> 
> Oh, and did you notice this is part of a series now? I'm making room for the eventual notes pages and *static noise*. Can't post anything until spoilers aren't a thing, but there we go.


	25. The Empire of the Sun: Part IX

"Ah-hah-ha-haaaah! I don't wanna DIE!"

Kuzco ran as fast as he could. Faster than that: panicked llamas had excellent incentive to stampede past every speed record known to existence.

He was still going too slow.

A flurry of fangs and claws followed him: jaguars, and clearly Heartless. He made several frantic peeks backwards and nearly froze; tripped as his heart stuttered. Glowing yellow eyes wove through complex shadows in a flood. Too many to count, even if he tried. They rushed past every obstacle he stumbled through as if the jungle had flattened to painted canvas under his heels.

They were so close the air changed direction behind him when they swiped.

Kuzco ran.

Until he stopped.

He had to. A cliff appeared out of nowhere; rocks spilled out from his frantic retreat away from the edge. It was a steep tumble straight down to a narrow valley far, far below, and he'd almost stepped out into the gap.

Shadows filed in behind, patient now.

Oh, they had him. Kuzco whirled and gave ground until his back feet found no more ground to give. White teeth _snicked_ together in a firecracker burst, spangled confetti dazzling him as they stalked out from underneath the dark jungle canopy. There were so many.

So many.

He whimpered; turned his face away.

"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIAAAAAAAIIIIIIIAAAAAA!"

A big, heavy _thump!_ dropped in front of him. Kuzco arced away from it, and pulled his neck into his body as far as it would hide. At first, he couldn't understand the broad sweep of green that moved between him and the Heartless swarm.

Then he knew: "P-Pacha?"

"So, you were gonna leave without me, huh?" The other man's voice sounded light for all the grim suffering that seethed in the shadows ahead. He let go of the vine and hesitated only a little before he transferred both hands to a familiar thin, black spear with a spade at the top.

"I didn't mean to-" Kuzco whimpered. Then he snapped his head out and protested: "I was trying to find the bodyguards-"

"You left me behind."

"I- I found Yzma, and, you were... they were..." The llama drooped; stubbed a split hoof in the rock. "Yzma wants me dead. And that other guy, I don't know. You were... you were right. I'm s-sorry."

"Are you really?"

"I mean I guess, I-" A curious eye gleamed at him from over Pacha's shoulder. Kuzco gritted his teeth; took a deep breath: "Yes," he said. The llama stomped his foot and stood tall. "Yes, I am."

"Good." The big man waggled an smiled at him. "Ready to fight?"

"Without the bodyguards?"

"Well, I'm not bad. Unless you don't want the help."

"Hah, hah, very funny." Kuzco shook himself all over before he puffed up and jostled his friend out of the way. "These guys don't know who they're messing with," he said. A smirk widened as the emperor dropped into a stiff-legged fighting crouch. "You with me?"

"Eh." Pacha rolled his eyes and shrugged. "As long as you don't start cowering in a corner again."

"Hmph. Let's. Do. This."

__________________________________________________________________________

_This feels familiar_. Nova vaulted across a gap between two sturdy vine loops, somersaulted onto another thin branch, and let her weight sink down until the twig ricocheted back up to launch her even further forwards.

Experience aside, she couldn't _quite_ manage as well as she used to. Her wounds had vanished with the transformation: Yzma's brew had likely used a healing potion as the base before mixing; but even with the hour or so it had been since the last fight, she still felt clumsy and slow. Tired.

She was so tired.

A large, grey squirrel appeared out of the haze of her memory, unbidden:

_ :"You understand, my dear," he twitched a long, lighter set of moustache-like whiskers at her, tried to gesture, and scrabbled for purchase instead. Hind legs pedaled freely in open air over a steep drop. Somehow, even then, the lecture continued: "Ahrumph! You may now inhabit a form that operates under the same principles as your own," he wheezed. "Mammalian, with a changed muscular-skeletal form. But even so, a human doesn't have the same instinct for... for jumping about, you see. You'll have to learn, er, _re_-learn how to move."_

_ Nova tried not to laugh as she anchored her tail to a smaller branch and grasped him firmly by the scruff. "Is this part of the demonstration?" She heaved her friend up and off the broken edge and safely onto the limb behind her before giving her hands a good, satisfied dust. "You don't have to. I think I've got it."_

_ "Yes, well, -ahem-" the old wizard coughed as he rolled to his feet, "I do suppose that is enough, er- verbal instruction for one day. Time for some practice. Let's see what you can do.":_

The glass inside her heart rocked with a sudden, stubborn _thud!_ She twitched, startled, and let out a high _squeak!_ as she slapped into a dense cluster of leaves and found a hole on the other side instead of a branch.

And then she was falling again. _Again, again, again..._

She was so tired.

"Miss Nova!" Her squirrel body flopped against something that wasn't the ground: the world rolled over on itself as a pair of hands clamped around her.

Selphie. With a surprise catch.

_Of course. _

The girl sat with an _oof!_ in the dirt where she'd landed. Her chin lifted to point through the canopy above them before she looked down and demanded in one breathless streak: "Did you fall? Are you hurt? Do you need a potion?"  
  
"Yes. No. No. It won't do much good. They can only do so much." Gratitude trickled away, lost to fog. A bitter taste wedged into its place: it went harder, sometimes, when she knew on instinct how to react and couldn't. Nova pushed herself out of the tight squeeze and flopped heavily onto the ground; sat without meaning to. _Must have hit the last of my reserves_, came the muzzy complaint. More thoughts soured; drifted away. _I can only do so much._

"Seem to work okay enough for me," Selphie shrugged.

"Depends on the potion." Her head felt light and full of fluff: factual, librarian fluff. "Most people only mix a general cure-all," she sighed, "and they're about as effective as that person's skill."

"I didn't know."

"Oh." Nova blinked. "Weren't you the one who checked out Melmond's Mixing Magic four times in a row?"

"Noooooo." Curled hair ends swept back and forth. "I mean, maybe _once_. It was really boring."

"Oh."

"But you should still have one if you're not feeling good." Selphie started pulling off her bag.

"It's all right." Nova hopped upright and made it a few steps before she felt, very firmly, like sitting down again. "How many do you have left?"

A zipper _schwirred_; bottles _clinked_. "Uhh... four."

She flexed her arms and felt the tremble that thrummed underneath; nodded. "Save them. If you're fighting, you'll want them later."

""If'?"

Nova's ear flicked. "Do you still see Heartless out there?"

Selphie frowned, but dutifully checked: a _tsk_-ing sound caught between her teeth. "Ye-es," she said.

"A lot?"

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe the boys will leave some for you."

The girl's head skewed sideways before she stuck out her tongue. "Not a competition," she said. "And I guess you won already." Selphie leaned forward. "How many Heartless did you jump on at the restaurant, anyway?"

"Quite a few. One looked like an armadillo."

"Aw. I missed out," she pouted, before grumbling: "And we never got lunch,"

"No? I'd hoped you'd all had a chance. We'll have to go back and try again." Nova stood on her hind legs and walked a little before she dropped on all fours and scooted the rest of the way to a nearby tree. "Without Pete, I hope."

What she had now _had_ to be enough, but it certainly seemed to take a long time to get a paw on the trunk. Bark swam around for a moment: gravity wanted to pull her straight down, and her small body was _very_ interested in the idea. "How am I going to get up there?" she muttered.

"Hey. So." The girl shrugged again, this time in obvious sincerity, and tapped the pink backpack strap on her shoulder."So, you can ride here again, if you'd like," she said. "I mean..."

To have one of the children carry her was... odd. No matter her form. Sora hadn't grown into his shoes, yet. She could see straight through the spikes when she ruffled his hair.

_Not by much._ Nova's stomach clenched. _I wonder how tall he'll get without me?_

She shook her head before dark thoughts could encourage more like it, to flutter and hum in a flock of worry before her walls swallowed them down, down, _down_. Instead, she said, a little too loud: "Yes, thank you. You're not tired?"

"Nah." The girl grinned, ear to ear, and pumped her fist. "I got this!"

__________________________________________________________________________

Selphie ran two steps- maybe three -getting used to a jog with tiny squirrely hands braided in her hair. Then darkness spun open in a big, oval shape right in front of them. It was so sudden and so similar to the other blobby shadows that kept flickering in the distance, it didn't even look like a portal until someone walked through.

She yelped and flinched backwards. Claws dug into her upper arm as Nova's red tail streamed past her face in a blur. A black robed figure pinwheeled the other way while the opening _whooshed_ closed behind them, just as surprised.

"Ah!" they screamed, a little, and held up both arms in a defensive wave. "You!" They pointed. "Where'd you guys come from?"

"Where'd we- hey! Where'd _you_ come from?" Selphie crouched and reached for her weapon. Weight shifted on her shoulder, but stayed; if she raised her head a little, she could barely see the squirrel standing up with a fierce expression on her face.

That guy had earned it, scaring them like that!

Except Nova didn't seem startled as much as unhappy: "How are you using a dark corridor?" her teacher demanded. "Are you with Pete? Who are you?"

"Dark corridor..." Selphie muttered to herself as the last dregs of whatever the guy had opened wisped shut. She'd ask about that, but the guy- it sounded like a guy -got her attention first as she tried to peer through the deep hood on top of the black, ankle-length coat with the shiny silver zipper and got nothing for her effort.

The whoever-it-was person rubbed the back of their probable head with a black-gloved hand. "Well, this is weird," they said. "So much for stealth recon. My aim is so _off_ today. Oh! Hey, while you're both here-" they fiddled with a pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. A pencil poised over it. "So, like," they said, "My boss'll wanna know where you're from. Not this world, right? Mind giving a guy a hand?"

"_Yes_," Claws scraped under one tiny squirrel foot; Nova twitched the other away before it could hurt. Selphie made a grateful noise and pulled out her jump rope. No one had said the black cloak wasn't bad news, yet, and she wanted to be extra ready.

The look her teacher gave her was worth the effort. Then Nova's face went blank again and she flicked her tail: "Who's your boss?"

"Well, he's a guy you do _not_ wanna cross- hey, wait a sec." The pencil pointed. "I'm asking the questions here."

"This guy's with the Heartless," Selphie squinted and chewed her lip. "I think."

The heart in front of her... _wasn't_, as much as she tried to look.

Nova tensed; whispered: "You think?"

"He's not- there?" Two familiar-ish lights pinged inside the surging pool of shadows straight ahead. And if Selphie tried not to look too hard, she could even see something... muzzy inside her teacher, too. It wasn't nothing, not really, not like she'd first thought, but it was so, so faint she couldn't have known if Nova wasn't _right there_ long enough to read if she concentrated hard.

But the guy in front of them? Nothing. It was... nothing.

"I'm not with the Heartless," the black-cloaked person waved them both off. "Those guys are such a drag. I've got better things to do, you know."

"And what's that?" Nova didn't seem convinced.

He visibly considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "Recon right now, I guess."

"Okay, all right, _fine_." Selphie stamped forward. Hard claws tightened on her shoulder; she ignored them. "Where's your heart?" she demanded. She'd just started to get the hang of looking for them, and now there was _another_ hard-to-read person in front of her and it was so, so _frustrating_...

The guy's head jerked inside his cowl. "My heart?" He snorted, then bent double.

_Laughing_. He was laughing at her.

Selphie bristled. Before she could do anything, the guy sighed, wiped a non-existent tear out of his eye, and leaned casually on a tree. "Don't have one of those, sorry," he said.

Her shoulder suddenly weighed more than it ever had.

Before it didn't.

A red squirrel appeared in front of her: she flew straight at the cloaked hood, and blinked out so fast, Selphie wasn't sure what happened.

Black rippled as the man scooted out of the way. Nova hit the tree and shot after him in the same instant, a tiny red blur roaring too loud for such a small thing: "_Stay back!_"

Her warning hit a second too late. Selphie heard: "_Run!_" even as she punched forwards with her jump rope. Her head skipped behind and demanded: _are we fighting?_

Then, suddenly, she wasn't running.

She was _falling_.

Darkness had opened into a pool underneath her. She was covered with the stuff that flew past like water; opened her mouth and tasted dust. Something bitter.

_Vile_.

Nova's face swam over her in a vast empty space that ran black and thick with rising shadows: tiny, and- and... terrified.

_Uh-oh_.

The dark portal wavered high above them, edges shrinking fast. A funny, two-fingered salute dropped from the side of the black-cloaked person's head; a glint of green eyes smirked from beneath the hood. "See you guys later," he called.

Selphie choked and sank even further as the jungle, the world, and the light all swirled shut.

__________________________________________________________________________

"Well, that was easier than I expected. I mean, you know, when I'm not trying to sneak around." Blond hair stood up in a stiff wave of intense spikes as the man in the black coat pulled his cowl down and gloved fingers over shaved sideburns. A frown hummed out. "And, okay, so I got spotted. Big deal. They're not the targets anyway. Maybe I can fudge the report a little."

He stood chewing his lip for far too long before snapping his fingers. "Right! Gotta get the other two. Let's see now-"

Another dark portal _gasped!_ to life in front of the man's raised fist. He stepped through, and out the other side in front of a very large rock. Shadows swirled shut with a quick glance back to his former position, barely visible through the trees. "That oughta do it," he said, and nodded in satisfaction.

Knuckles cracked. More portals opened up in pairs as the man hop-skipped through the jungle. In no time at all, he poked his head out of the last one and whistled tunelessly at the mess.

Two hapless figures stood in front of a very steep cliff, leaning away from one danger and towards another. A pride of Heartless ranged in front of them, claws biting deep into springy jungle turf. It looked like a blatant, sorry attempt at a last stand: fast cracks of desperate humor drifted back as Pacha and Kuzco sized up their predicament.

"You know, we already talked about the whole 'rescuing thing' before, and I get that," The llama spun and kicked a Heartless in the face. Rock _creaked_ underneath him. "But, gotta say, I'm pretty sure the guy getting rescued isn't supposed to do all the work himself."

"Oh really?" Pacha waved the spear around like a bat: it _whiffed_ to and fro in front of the snarling line. "I thought you were doing all right. Wouldn't rate you ten out of ten, but-"

More flowed in. Kuzco sniffed; shied. "What? Who do you think's getting rescued, pal?"

"Well, judging by our friends here- _oof!_" the big man dropped onto his back on the ledge as a loud _snap!_ rumbled through the ground. Three sets of teeth worried the haft of his weapon; he reached back and shoved them away. "I'd say both of us," he gasped.

"Nuh-uh. Rescue-_er_, or rescue-_ee_." Kuzco squealed and bounced over a quick claw swipe; stumbled as the ledge dipped under his hooves. "Pick a role and stick with it," he ordered, frantic.

"That doesn't sound fair."

"Since when has any of this been fair?"

"These guys are something else," the cloaked man muttered; tapped his cheek. "Fun to watch. But I gotta wrap this up." He dropped his hand and gestured.

A dark corridor whispered open behind the cliff: underneath and slightly to the side of the two hapless victims. "Okay, cool. Hey-" he pointed at a Heartless; waggled the finger around. "You- thing, go chase them off."

A few of the Heartless in the back glanced at him sideways, dull yellow eyes unblinking. More caught on, and seemed to mull it over. Eventually, they dismissed him and turned away.

"Wow, okaaaaay..." the cloaked man frowned. "Now I'm feeling ignored. That's not very nice, guys." All friendly pretense dropped into easy menace. "You're gonna listen, or-"

Twin screams interrupted him. The ledge snapped off at once: both man and llama tumbled over the edge and vanished.

Straight into his portal.

"Oh." The man paused. Grinned. "Sweet." He twirled on his heels and swung his arm in a loud arc. A fake guitar riff rattled off with a heavy: "Ta-Daaaaaa! Yeah! One more stop and it's RTC. Demyx time, babeeeeeeee- ooops."

Over a dozen Heartless now stared at him. Intent.

"Oh," he said. "Aw, man."

__________________________________________________________________________

She was falling again.

_Again?_

Again.

Stars shone from one forever to another, a vast dazzling promise. Dark waves closed overhead, and she drifted inside an ethereal sea, brilliant and beautiful. It surrounded her with echoes of peace. Warmth.

_Need_.

She drifted further. Listened. Searched for one connection among hundreds. Thousands.

_Just one._

The one that mattered.

_Protect the things that matter_.

Glimmering sky sieved through her fingers as she reached. Fragile light faded fast: one-by-handfuls, then to dozens. All vanished at the last, caught in a veil of deep violet twilight that tattered under heavy strokes of listless grey.

All but one.

Nova stretched her hands out as far as they would go and wished with all her heart.

**_All?_**

_Yes._

**_You won't._**

_But-_

A memory flashed, sharp and clear:

_:"Your heart may, perhaps, free itself from its predicament. It is still possible, however unlikely." An old wizard with a severe gaze and a tall, triangular hat steepled his fingers and frowned at her from behind a large oak desk. Someone else in the room gasped. He waved; cut them off. "You must understand, all of you, that I do not say such things without great concern. This is a serious problem that does not have an easy solution. I fear to wait, and yet, there is no other choice."_

_ "Nova, we cannot guarantee your heart's restoration to its proper state. Not as it is now- not even with the power of the Keyblade. It has been cut off for far too long. Whatever fragile strength your light has managed to retain may collapse entirely as it is opened: indeed, a cure worse than the affliction. I would not suggest an attempt of any kind until the other heart you carry has had its chance at birth."_

_ Nova bowed her head. Her arms crossed tight over her swollen belly. She couldn't feel a light inside: her own, or her child's. She couldn't..._

_ "But, Master-!" Another voice rose._

_ "It's fine." Nova muttered. She didn't hear the rest: she spun on her heel and stumbled from the room; fled the tower, as fast as she could move, her body groaning and uncomfortable underneath. Stairs passed in a blur: she didn't see anything until the last door; until the wide expanse of stars inside the tower opened up into a deeper expanse of glittering sky far, far above her. _

_ The edge of the shimmering island beckoned. Tendrils of magic wove intricate patterns all around and underneath: the spells that kept them afloat were now as opaque to her as they had once been so easy to read. She turned away from them; lifted her face to the twinkling lights. _

_ A smile twisted her lips. She wasn't happy at all, just... numb. "I'm tired," she admitted. "I'm done." A hand reached up to soothe the ache that spread from new kicking in her side. "Oh, no, Sora. Don't worry. I'll make sure. You'll be- okay. I promise."_

_ Fists ground at her forehead: pressed in, trading pain for pain. She couldn't cry; this was the best she could offer her sore, shuttered heart. "I knew it," she told the child. "I knew it. And it's... what I deserve." _

_ "I've asked my aunts to help. I don't know what else... I promise, you'll be okay." Nova whispered. "I'll make sure. I promise."_

_ "I promise.":_

Shadows folded over; obscured the sky. The tiny star winked and went silent.

It felt cold, but warm. She drowned in air and breathed water. Darkness wrapped over her and clung to her in viscous strands until she couldn't see; couldn't think. It pooled inside the limited depths of her heart, wadded up the sides and filled to the brim until the pounding against the other side retreated to dim noise. Grey thickened into night, and drifted farther on. Towards something... closer?

Familiar.

Sleep.

_Ah. / **Ah.**_

Nova closed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nova, my girl, haven't you had enough of strange portals? 
> 
> The chapter is extra long today, as you may have noticed, to make space for the scene at the very end. It's more intended to be an interstitial in between chapters, but because it's so short, I didn't want to post it as a standalone. And I didn't want to start the next chapter with it, soo... there you go. ^-^
> 
> I'd been debating on whether or not to try to push through and post more in my normal off time because I really, _really_ would like to get to the end of this world (yes- we are _that_ close and there are a lot of cool things coming up!) but I have to hold off for now, unfortunately. There's a lot of personal and professional IRL work coming up next month that I need to concentrate on, and I don't want to try to manage the fic on top of that. Never fear: the usual updates shall resume in September! 
> 
> Everyone, please stay well, stay safe, and I'll see you soon!
> 
> Changelog: Fairly extensive today. Chapter/s 3, 5-9, 12-15, 17-24 have all had minor changes, with more in-depth adjustments to dialogue in 5 and 15. I received a fairly useful critique recently, and after doing a little re-reading, decided I needed to flesh out Selphie just a tad bit more, so most of the additions are tweaks to her dialogue (so she better matches the picture I have of her in my head) and a lil' more backstory. None of it changes the base structure of what's already been posted, but I hope the changes are enjoyable to read, nevertheless.


	26. The Empire of the Sun: Part X

"Ahhh... that hit the spot." Pete acknowledged the restaurant with a satisfied grunt as he sauntered out. The tip of a large twig wiggled in front of a huge smile: spun with the stem jammed between his teeth. _Crunched_ as he stopped and ran a gimlet eye over the bright, sunny, quiet, _peaceful_ day. "Now where'd them bozos get off to?" he frowned.

The toothpick flicked away as two fingers came up in a piercing whistle. It rang everywhere at once through the clearing before echoes dove to limp through the trees. Normal birdsong dimmed to listen, while a few brave tweets caroled replies. Leaves rustled in a light tickle of wind: the only sign of movement in a recklessly serene afternoon.

"Huh. That ain't supposed to happen." Pete scratched the back of his head. "Oughta be a bunch a' Heartless-" he reared back abruptly and bellowed "-YOU CLOWNS BETTER NOT BE SLEEPIN' ON THE JOB, SEE?"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a faint smudge appeared off in the distance, a sudden bruise on the sky. He peered at the portal as it flicked open and snapped shut, a speck of darkness almost lost to sight up past a winding dirt road, several small mountains, and more puffy green plumes of jungle.

"What th'-?" Sour noises rumbled while his lips pursed into a scowl. "That ain't anywhere particular ta' me, ya ding-dang blasted Heartless."

Pete gestured. Light ripped apart: swirling shadows clawed through the rift and laid themselves into a familiar oval frame. "That there better be a llama," he threatened as he stalked through.

__________________________________________________________________________

"Ouch!"

Selphie burst back into reality as fast as she'd left, _falling_ as fast as she'd left. Rocks reached up to reconnect; she yelped and twisted; slammed to the side and slithered down a scrubby hill into a heap at the bottom. Hair snarled around her cheeks and ground dirt into her teeth; she spun back into the sharp incline to gag around her tongue: "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew-"

A mouthful of turf actually tasted _good_ in comparison to the stuff she'd already swallowed or- or something. Whatever darkness had made up the corridor had dribbled down her throat despite all the screaming she wasn't sure she'd done, and she coughed for a long, long time trying to get rid of it. Black stuff fled in dirty handfuls of smoke, out of her lungs, out of her body, out, out, out, _out_...

There was a _pop!_ above her. And more screaming. Selphie _felt_ the portal open up and scrambled out of the way as fast as she could, still hacking hard. She bumped against a wall and bunched up like a cat with a really bad hairball: could barely tell where she was going or why.

_Ooo... when I see that guy again..._

A gigantic piece of rock ricocheted through the corridor; crumpled on impact and lolled into a lopsided landslide. Stray handfuls of torn grass and scree slapped out in a dusty goodbye.

Pacha appeared after it, tumbled over and over with several yelps until he landed on his back in a bruising flop. A familiar black spear slid out from underneath him and away. Shadows streamed off in droves: hovered thickly around his ashen face. "I think-" he clutched his stomach and groaned "-I'm going to be sick."

Kuzco landed next, dropped straight down and half on top of everyone. More enthusiastic gagging and griping followed, eventually resolved into a sniveling wail: "Why does this keep happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? Whyyyyyy?"

"I could list off a couple things for you." Pacha pushed llama legs off of his back and stood with a wobble. Another grunting cough caught him with his tongue stuck out in disgust. "_Ahem_. But I don't think you deserve _all_ of it, if that helps."

"_No_."

"All right. Let me know if you change your mind." He shook out his clothes and stamped his feet; squinted up at the sun. A low whistle wondered: "It's still- wow, it's still today, isn't it?"

Sephie slouched to a sit with her feet stuck out to either side and considered. They were in the middle of a dirt road that looked a lot like all the other dirt roads she'd seen on the world, with grass bristled in sparse green bundles around them. After the pure black _nothing_ they'd dropped through, everything was heavy and real and so bright it blinded. "I think so," she said. Her throat still tasted awful, with a funny lingering tang, while the rest of her body felt too heavy and thick to be real. Words curled in curious ways around her ears. "When was today again?"

"Oh, hey!" Heavy footsteps echoed as they rushed over. A friendly hand blurred to life in front of her. "Where'd you come from?" Pacha asked. "Are you okay?"

"I guess?" Selphie grumbled and grabbed on; leaned hard as her knees tried to knock themselves silly. "We fell through that big shadow portal thing, same as you. Where were you guys?"

"Not sure." Pacha rubbed his neck. "There were a lot of Heartless trying to push us off a cliff. I'm kinda fuzzy on the details after that." His eyebrows scrunched together. "Where's Nova?"

"Speaking of fuzzy-" Kuzco interrupted. He picked up a hoof and scowled at it. "What's this thing I just stepped in?"

"Hey. _HEY!_" Selphie forgot being tired and weird. She dropped her head and bullied the snorting llama out of the way, checked the ground and- _aha!_ "There!" Her hands stung as they hit the dirt; she didn't care. "Miss Nova! Are you okay?"

Her friend didn't say anything. The tiny squirrel body was sprawled on the ground like a chewed-up rag: not _smushed_, she hoped, but the fluffy red tail had tangled all around her friend in a terrible, awful way. Nova's head lolled off of the point of her chin, eyes squeezed shut and... and...

_Gone_.

She might as well have been gone for real. The barely-there heart, with its little feeling of grey- Selphie thought, she couldn't tell, _it was so hard to tell_ -had well and truly vanished into shadows.

Like it had never been there at all.

Someone was shrieking. Selphie lost herself in the noise: repeated denial ground faster and faster until the high-pitched keening cut off abruptly; hiccupped to a stop in hazy surprise. Burning lines skipped through her throat, ragged and raw, while her hands rucked deep into gnarled grooves of loosened stones and dirt, every sting and scrape so, _so_ small compared to the stab of pain in her heart.

This was worse than the pool in Wonderland. So much worse than wading through the darkness that had cut and torn and crumpled the Destiny Islands into shreds of light right in front of them. They'd _escaped_ the darkness. Her teacher had gone into the pool and come back, same as ever. Stronger.

Now there was a small, huddled heap where her friend had been and it was all her fault.

_All my fault._

"Hey! Hey, whoa, whoa, calm down. It's okay. It's _okay_. Shhh..." Someone was holding her now, rocking them back and forth. Selphie breathed in wool and sweat and little bit of fried food: her nose was buried in a mountain of green cloth and everything was suddenly pouring out all at once and she couldn't stop crying, _couldn't stop_, no matter how hard she wanted to stop, stop, stop, stop, _stop_...

She didn't know what to do. Everyone had gone: all her friends had left her behind. She wasn't strong enough to keep them, to go with them, to _save_ them. _Not enough. Not okay_. Selphie fought her way out, breathing hard. "It's _not_ okay!" she wailed. "It's not okay, and you can't tell me it is."

"No, you're right. You're right, I can't. But I'm going to take a look at her, all right?" Pacha let go and kept talking. Soothing. "Give me a chance?"

More tears squeezed out: Selphie bit her lip and nodded. Fresh guilt welled up. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ She should have checked instead of getting upset; should have checked instead of giving in to the panic that had squeezed her stomach in a too-tight fist.

Pacha shifted and reached over to touch the sad little bundle. "It doesn't feel like she's got a bump on the head," he said, "so that's good." Nova didn't even twitch as sure hands gently peeled one eye open. The big man watched it dilate, and removed his thumb. "Boy, she's really out of it," he muttered.

"Wait-a-sec." Kuzco suddenly squawked above them both. "Are you guys telling me the tiny, super-strong bodyguard lady got herself turned into an even tinier squirrel?"

Selphie's cheeks burned bright pink. "It's not her fault!" she gritted her teeth and wiped her eyes. Relief had turned her insides out: soggy feelings dried in a flare of temper. "Besides, _you_ stepped on her!"

"I did not."

"You said so!"

"Okay, so I might've. A little," Kuzco shuffled uneasily. "But, you can fix it, right?"

Pacha blinked in the center of attention. "Oh. Well..."

"Potions!" Selphie shouted too loud and didn't care. She dragged her backpack off and unzipped it in a frenzy. "I've got a couple left-"

"I don't think we should make her drink anything right now. She might choke."

"But-"

"We'll keep checking. Don't worry." He gathered up the small body and carefully tucked it into the crook of his arm. The tail looped into an easy curl around his wrist. "Besides," Pacha pushed himself to his feet, brisk, "anyone else know where we are?"

Heads swung back and forth with nothing helpful to see. They'd landed in a tiny valley gathered inside a circle of hills that resembled a wall of round, green teeth. The dirt road ran in a trickle of swoops and curves through odd patches of level ground before it rambled up a quick rise and disappeared on the other side. 

"In a shocking turn of events," said Kuzco, with extra sarcasm slathered across the top of his normal cynicism, "we are currently somewhere. In the middle of _nowhere_." Blue sky breezed overhead. Wind tickled a strand of hair loose: he snorted at it and skipped forward. "See if I go over this way, like so-" the llama vanished over a small knoll. His disembodied voice drifted back, equally ironic: "Ooo, look. _More_ nowhere. I'm gonna have to check the box for 'meets expectations' when the tour survey comes out."

Pacha shrugged and followed. Selphie scrambled to her feet and after her friends, pink backpack tugged along tight between her clenched fists. A little thrill of alarm shot out; threaded through the boiling, messy things she couldn't stop feeling. _What-?_

Something felt...

She didn't know what she felt.

The rest of the meadow they stood on stopped short at a cliff: a very steep, very _deep_ cliff. More scribbles widened to a proper dirt road that took a sharp turn at the last second, unconcerned by proximity, and dove straight for cover inside a new, blooming bunch of jungle. Beyond the ledge, clouds piled in deep drifts around mountain spires; gathered in huge clumps to cover shorter peaks in fluffy white blankets. Gold and other different colors peeked out from inside one unusually shaped outcrop before it vanished under a gusty fog.

Kuzco had his foot on a rim of cracked stone as they made it to the top. "Why is everything around here trying to drop us off these things?" the llama demanded. He ducked his head and squinted down the sheer wall, as if he was trying to gauge the distance. "I think I've had enough of huge cliffs with sharp rocks at the bottom, thanks."

It had been a near-miss out of the portal, and that was _terrifying_. Selphie sucked in a breath as fascinated horror kept her eyes drifting further down, down, _down_... They'd been _so_ close.

"Huh. Well-" Pacha gave his friend a light slap on the shoulder. "Your empire has a lot of high places to fall off of, your Highness."

"Hey!" Kuzco skittered out of range of the cliff and shoved him back. "Don't look at me. I don't make the rules," he objected. "I just run the place."

"No, pretty sure you do both."

"Okay, so I do a little of both."

"_Hey!_" Selphie's voice trembled; rose. "It's not funny."

They both turned around. Pacha broke first: he cocked his head and made an embarrassed noise. "I guess not," he admitted. "We're lost."

"And we're still not at the palace," Kuzco quipped

"You- your stupid palace. You lied to me- to us!" Selphie snarled at the llama. A little thrill of surprise swelled into bubbling hot temper. It felt good to yell. She stamped her foot and kept yelling. "We were supposed to help you, but you never wanted to help _us_, did you?"

"Well, I-" the llama-emperor shuffled back a few paces, ears laid back.

"What do you mean?" Pacha shifted between the two of them: wary. "What's going on?"

"He said Yzma could help us. With magic. But I asked her- in the restaurant. She doesn't know anything about anything."

"Well she knows how to turn people into _llamas_. And squirrels, I guess we figured that out." Kuzco chewed and spat out the words. "So what if I thought she could do other things, too? I never paid attention, I just knew she did a lot of weird magic mumbo jumbo. Some of it could have helped. How is that not being helpful? I was _helpful_."

"You were _not_."

"Was so!"

"Was not!"

"All right, that's _enough_, both of you. Calm down. We need to work together, right?" Pacha put his free hand on his hip and frowned. "Yzma and Kronk are somewhere out there looking for my village. That big cat Pete is running around with the Heartless. Don't we have more important things to do than stand around and argue?"

"Yeah!" Kuzco scowled and pranced forward. "Look, kid-"

"_Selphie_."

"-Selphie, look, I never lied. I promised a favor, and I meant it. Not my fault Yzma turned out to be the person who stuck me in the llama-suit, was it? I didn't know. I just..." he sighed and bit his lip. A blade of grass shivered between his toes as he plucked at it. "I'm bad at asking for help, all right? Kind of hard when people used to do everything I told them to. Until _this_ guy-" he flicked a hoof at Pacha "-I didn't think about anything but me. Didn't have to.

"But he came back and helped me. You guys- you all helped me. So, I guess... thanks."

Selphie glared at him; closed her mouth and swallowed before she could snap. She didn't need to... didn't want to...

Suddenly, she couldn't remember why she was so angry. Being alone _stung_: that was true. And she missed her friends. Wanted them back. And _Zell_. Missing him ached and ached, no matter how much she didn't want to think about it; no matter how much it shouldn't have mattered.

Nova had said to look for connections. That her friends were still around, even if they weren't. But she'd never had to look before. They were always _there_.

Until they weren't. They'd left her behind.

Except, they hadn't.

Had they?

And she was... sad? Abandoned. _Guilty._

None of that was Kuzco's fault.

_Why-?_

Pacha shifted backwards and pointed. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Everyone stared at each other. Shadows plucked at skin; tangled in drifts that stuck like loose bits of fur to Kuzco's coat. The air had thickened into a deep cloud: lazy whorls of black fog pooled in the ground at their feet before it evaporated away.

Selphie's arms were wrapped in the stuff, her hands sticky with wisps of darkness. She scrubbed at them, aghast. _What... is this?_ "What _is_ this?" Strands wrapped around her fingers; clung, no matter how much she tried to wipe them off. "I'm not-"

"Ew." Kuzco seemed just as perturbed. He backed up and shook all over. Tendrils wavered out of sight, even as they followed him like awful not-steam. "Well, this is extra creepy," he said.

"Did all of that come from that portal thing we fell through?" Pacha hovered nearby, concern spread across his face. He lifted his arm high, trying to keep the unconscious Nova out of range of the dissipating black mist. Tiny wisps wavered as they reached him, spun into nothing as he batted them away. "Are you guys okay?" he asked.

"It's... weird." Selphie shuddered. Somehow, all at once, her feelings had coherent shapes again. They'd shrunk back down into a little more comfortably difficult rather than overwhelming. _Was that the darkness?_ "It was... weird."

It hadn't felt all wrong. But it hadn't felt all _right_, either. Terrible things she'd never wanted to think had swum to the top and spilled out of her heart without anything to stop them. 

Like_, if she wanted, she could leave. Be strong by herself. _

_ Keep everyone away. _

_She didn't need anyone._

_ It was better that way._

_Alone._

Now the inside of her heart prodded at her, awkward and sore. She shoved the feelings back where they belonged. _Did they belong... ?_ "Miss Nova called the portal a dark corridor when the guy in black opened it." Selphie said. Her hands looked like themselves again, but- "I think that was darkness. It got... stuck?"

"Guy in black?"

"He made the portal- the dark corridor that we... fell through." another thought, a _horrible _thought, twisted Selphie's stomach. She glanced at the small, furry bundle: really _looked_ and _still couldn't-_

"Didn't see him, but I believe you," Pacha said, seriously. The light of his heart slid into view; wavered in and out of focus, like a cheerful candle, until it was lost completely behind solid green. He didn't seem to notice her staring, too intent on the little valley behind them where the portal had closed. "I do _not_ want to go through one of those things again," he frowned at the empty space.

"Aw. And you folks were doing such a good job a' gettin' yourselves all shadow-fied, too." A familiar voice chortled as its owner swaggered into view. "Guess we're back to this!"

Adrenaline kicked into a whirlwind. Selphie turned quickly; shouted. "Hey. What- look out!"

Too late.

A big, burlap sack reached out and dropped over the llama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [EDIT] Dates got confuzzled. Woo...
> 
> I had something to say about this chapter, but then the scene got moved to the one after this. 
> 
> So instead, this is your friendly, neighborhood PSA about the danger of wandering through darkness without proper protection. Always remember to wear fairy-blessed clothing in the Realm of Darkness, kids!
> 
> In other news, you may noticed this chapter is landing a week early. It's not September yet, is it? 
> 
> No, no, no... no timey-wimey shenanigans here. We _are_ a week early. IRL, I've been frantically picking up my entire life to move it again (ugh) into a new place. Our moving date is the first, and while I would love to assume that everything will go smoothly, and it'll all somehow 'work out' that I get enough unpacked and the internet hooked up by the weekend, I don't want to take chances.  
So, here you go. An early chapter, a very, very likely skip week next week, and the regular schedule should resume as usual for the rest of September. 
> 
> Changelog: Chapter 25 got some tweaking.


	27. The Empire of the Sun: Part XI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Rowdy Rumble intensifies*

"Yiiiiiiiii-" The man in the black cloak tumbled out of a dark portal into a graceless heap. A quick gesture muddled out of his fingers as fangs snipped off the trailing edges of his coat. The snarl of Heartless tangled to a halt behind him, blocked into the closing portal.

He took a breath; yelped as he slid again. "No, no no no-"

Legs dropped past the roof eaves of the restaurant. He flailed for a handful of straw and pulled. More gasps puffed out: the man's face was red and sweating by the time he clawed his way up to the top and dropped in a long puddle of black coat. Complaints strained out through the thick pile of thatch, raised in volume and culminated with a drawn out whine of: "Ew. Grooooooss..." 

After a moment or two of buried reflection, he lifted his head and quipped, "This should be _easy_. Recon's supposed to be _easy_. Ugh."

Silver metal hood pulls jingled as he rolled onto his back. The man in black made a pillow of his arms and stared at the sky. Birdsong chirped somewhere in the distance. A ticklish wind trickled past his nose. Restaurant murmur rustled underneath, unperturbed by the sudden arrival and hardly bothered by any other spontaneous ruckus of the day.

It wasn't fair. It was _too_ quiet.

"They're not here," the man said, finally, before he picked up his hand and studied the glove. Dirt had gathered in the creases; he wiped it on the side of his equally filthy coat. "My aim is _so_ off today... I think. Am I aiming? Man, I don't know." 

An empty paper basket caught his eye. The man tugged it over, stared at the crumbs inside, and groaned. "These guys aren't gonna give me a break," he said. "Wonder if it's too late to switch with someone..."

Shadows made a gaping noise nearby: the slight rush of air inside an opening mouth. He caught a hint of a portal out of the corner of his eye before it vanished.

Then he heard another one. And another.

And another.

Heartless leaped through and into the trees around the restaurant: black shadows melted into deeper darkness. An occasional beam of sunlight glanced off of pale yellow eyes. The cats snarled silently at each intrusion and drifted even further away from clear view.

Away from the restaurant: where else would they go?

The man jammed the crushed basket into a deep coat pocket and stood, brushing straw from his legs. "Guess the big guy's moved, too," he said, morose. "Man. Why can't everyone just pick a spot and do their thing already? They're wasting soooo much time. We could be done already, but nooooo..."

A new corridor spun open in front of him. He stepped through, still muttering: "Next time they hand out assignments, I'm out sick. Caught some kind of jungle fever. Yeah..."

__________________________________________________________________________

  


"NYAH HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!"

Pete stepped into view, still cackling. He pulled the drawstring tight on his sack and threw the entire kicking bundle over his shoulder. "There. That oughta do it," he said. Satisfaction smirked wide in a beaming grin. "One emperor in the bag by yours truly. Hah!"

Everyone in the clearing moved at once. Selphie darted in front and whipped her jump rope off her belt as Pacha retreated. "Hey!" she shouted, teeth bared. "You big bully. What did you do to us?"

"Wha-? I didn't do nothin'." The big cat scratched his head before he smacked a huge hand against his chest. Small black ears flicked, dismissive. "Not my fault you bozos went through that there dark corridor 'thout any protections, now is it? Why're you followin' the Heartless around anyways? Ya gotta be the hero or somethin'?"

_Protections?_ "You give Kuzco back right now!"

He laughed, a deep belly rumble that had the sack bouncing on top of his hefty blue shoulder pauldron. Several cries of dismay followed each hit, muffled behind burlap. "Nu-uh, no way, pipsqueak," he hooted. "I gots big plans for this here llama. Big plans, see?" Pete patted the side and grinned as the sack squirmed.

"Oh yeah?"

The warning hit before either of them realized: a familiar black spear flew across the clearing and sent them spinning apart. Selphie dodged and rolled, heart in her throat as it _clanged!_ -badly- against a nearby tree.

She followed the motion back to its source. Hope died a little: Pacha stared ahead of her, determined. His arm was still coming out of the throw, while the other braced up to his side with a small, fuzzy lump gathered close.

Nova was still a squirrel.

Still a squirrel, and not awake, but-

Pete dropped his bundle and fell back onto the dirt road. A pained _oof!_ whooshed out at the same time. "Why, you little-"

Something unfolded inside of Selphie. She dove for the bag; pulled the string. Kuzco's head popped out, just in time to look behind them both in awful fear.

"Run!" She kicked him away and used that momentum to dodge. Much like the first time they'd met, the hulking menace missed his target completely and slammed into the ground, howling. Selphie screamed again: "_Run!_"

Kuzco couldn't, of course. He was still stuck in the bag, with the tie tangled around his neck.

But, he could bounce.

And did.

A weird game started. Pete shook off his shock and started hunting. The llama bounded everywhere to escape: ricocheted across the road, tumbled off of trees, arrowed away from the cliff with a _yipe!_ of dismay. Selphie followed them both, mostly ignored, while her jump rope flicked out as many times as it could to make the worst kind of distraction.

"Yowch!" The big cat wasted time to rub at another smack on his sore backside and glared at her. "Quit that!"

"No." She snapped her weapon and grinned fiercely over the top.

It ended, finally, when Kuzco's back legs held down a fold of the sack for too long. He pitched forward and nailed the ground with his chin; slid a little closer to the cliff than anyone liked. He yelped and tried to skitter away-

-balked, suddenly, eyes like round pies. "The palace!"

Clouds had danced along as they'd fought, cheerfully unconcerned with terrestrial affairs. More mountains were visible now: spires splattered with various shades of grey poked up like fat, pointing fingers, white streams trailing around their knuckles in windy rivers. One unusually shaped peak outshone them all, gleaming gold even at a distance: a square face with a wide crescent helmet sat at the crown with a vague, rumpled city spread out beneath. It looked important.

Important and very far away.

Pete pounced at the opening. "A-hah! Emperor in the bag." He picked up the llama by the back of his neck and shook a squealing Kuzco, sack and all, at Selphie. "And you- stay back and keep that little bug bite o'yours away from me, see?"

She slid to a tripping halt in front of them and seethed. "Let him go, Pete," she growled. Kuzco's tongue was dangling off the side in a breathless panic.

"Hah! No can do, pipsqueak. This here emperor's comin' with me." The big cat pulled his captive in close and leered at slack-jawed, wide-eyed terror. "Aw. Don't _you_ worry 'bout nothin', yer Highness," he said, gleefully patronizing. "We're gonna stick you somewhere out o' the way. Hope you don't want ta see Yzma any time soon, 'cuz you shore ain't gonna do that. Nya hah hah hah haaa!"

"Hey, wait. Hold on a second." Pacha crept warily out from behind a bush. Thick eyebrows drew down into a frown, while the black spear in his free hand gestured. "Aren't you helping Yzma?" he asked.

"'course not. Now, iff'n you don't mind-"

"Wait, wait, wait... really?" A calm, rational, _different_ Kuzco shook his head over the clutching fist on his neck. Fur ruffled all directions into pokey spikes; he cleared his throat, swallowed, and said: "Pal, I don't know how happy I am to tell you this, but it sounds like we're on the same team."

"Wha'?"

"What?" Selphie's hand itched to grab him. "That's not true!"

"Actually..." the llama shrugged from inside the bag "...it _is_." He kept his focus in front; stared the big cat in the eye. "Look, you don't want me around Yzma? I don't want to be anywhere _near_ her right now. There's that whole-" he grimaced "-'death' thing to consider, right? She wants to kill me. She turned me into a llama. Why would I give her a chance to make it stick?"

"But, she's got the lab, and- okay, I don't wanna be around her, either, but-" Selphie's jump rope jabbed out: accusing "-he sent the Heartless after us!"

_ Were they supposed to _help_ Pete?_

"Hey, we survived, didn't we?" An ear flicked back in a small concession to reason before Kuzco's voice drawled on with lazy confidence: a strange contrast to his precarious situation. "I mean, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for that, right, buddy?" he said. "Not saying we have to be _friends_ or anything, but do we have to be fighting each other? Really?"

Pacha stepped up to nudge Selphie before she could drop another protest. He jogged the limp squirrel further up onto his arm and crooked his head to the side.

Winked.

For the second time in however many minutes, she closed her mouth before she could say anything else.

_Oh... huh._

Selphie nodded; waited, with her jump rope clenched tight.

Just in case.

Pete scratched his chin, attention fixed on the emperor, as he seemed to mull it over. "I s'pose so," he said. Both hands remained firmly clenched around the neck, but he had set the lumpy bag, and the emperor with it, on the ground. "I got big plans for Yzma, see." He frowned down at his captive. "Havin' you outta the way is all part of the show."

"Okay, so..." Kuzco's whole face beamed. The llama had freed an arm and was now waving it around for emphasis. "If I'm supposed to avoid her-" he leaned in close and lowered his voice "-and trust me, I'm planning to anyway, so, I _could_ just go back to the palace."

Suspicious eyes narrowed. "Why're you wantin' ta go back someplace ya already vacated-like?"

"Because she's looking for me out here. Never find me if I'm in there, right?" 

"That... sounds reas'nable." Pete pursed his lips. "You may be onta somethin', llama-boy."

"Em-pe-ror. And of course I'm on to something. I'm the emperor." Kuzco scoffed.

The bag dropped open all of a sudden. The llama tumbled out and scrabbled to his feet, not quite casual with Pete's wide grin looming over him. "Then again," the big bully boomed, "she's already leakin' darkness. Won't need ya for much longer."

Selphie felt her spine stiffen. "Longer for _what_?" she growled.

"Hehehehe..." Humor rippled across a broad belly; Pete leered at her. "Don't you never you mind, pipsqueak. Ain't none o' your business no how, anyways. You'll find out soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Pacha, meanwhile, had edged close enough to grab a tuft of llama tail. His hand clenched around the spear instead, carefully neutral. "So... we can go?" he asked.

"Huh?" The big cat scowled suddenly. "Whaddya chumps still doin'- ah, who cares about you morons anyways._ I_ got me a Heartless ta make." He waved at them; a casual flick of lint off of a sleeve. Air whispered in echoes as new shadows laced up behind, stretched wide and tucked, neat and tidy, into a familiar shape.

Selphie took a step towards the dark corridor before she meant to. "Hey, hang on a-"

"Wait, wait, _wait_." The spear dug in and strong-armed her backwards. "You want to go into one of those again?" Pacha hissed in her ear.

Kuzco's hind legs bumped them even further away as he retreated. "Nooooo," he pronounced, ears flat to his head. "Once was enough, thanks." 

"Aw. Look at 'em. Gettin' wisdom in their old age. Hah!" Pete snickered and tromped through as his portal dissolved. "Later, twerps!"

Mocking laughs played around the clearing long after the big cat had vanished. Selphie lashed her jump rope in displeasure; knocked the spear off. "You let him get away!"

The big man raised an eyebrow. "_Do_ you want to go through another one of those things?"

Nova's face was still pinched shut when she snuck a glance. Closed tight; _gone_. Selphie dropped her head and twisted a finger around a hair end. "... No." Her mouth went sour. "But we just let that big bully get away!"

"He's headed for Yzma." Kuzco pranced to the side and kicked the rest of the bag off the cliff with a snort. "That's good."

"Yzma was looking for my village," Pacha reminded him.

"Okay. So, that could be bad."

Selphie kicked her heels out to scruff the grass with her sandals, and said, honestly, "It's worse than that." She knew what the big cat had meant. She _knew_. "It sounds like Pete wants to make her- he wants to make Yzma a Heartless."

Dread made the ugly possibility certain. :_Too many dark thoughts... all of those things can gather inside of a Somebody... and build, and build...:_

Silence hurt. She blinked into it, suddenly uncomfortable. Pacha and Kuzco were staring.

_ Didn't they... know? _Selphie unclamped her teeth from around her throbbing lip and shifted uncomfortably. _That's right, we never-_

Nova hadn't told them where the Heartless came from. _No one_ had told them, had they?

The llama caught his balance first and shuddered. Sidled. "Okay, so if that's true, that's... _actually_ bad," he said.

"Those things are... they were... _people_?" Pacha had frozen stiff. He sat down hard at her helpless nod. "My wife can handle Yzma, Kronk, and probably even that guy, Pete without breaking a sweat. I bet my kids could give them a run for their money, too. But, Heartless..." he swallowed. Stammered: "You- you mean to tell me that guy can turn people into monsters?"

"No! No, it's not that... simple." Except it was. She'd seen it in Wonderland: a Heartless could reach into another creature and devour its heart; make another Heartless, just like that.

_Why wouldn't Pete do that? Wouldn't that be easier?_

Pacha's eyes haunted her. Something else _clicked_ in place.

When the Destiny Islands had vanished, Selphie hadn't wanted to think about what had happened. There had been something hopeful about planning to run down every last Heartless until they'd freed her friends, even if she hadn't known exactly how.

Then she'd wandered into Wonderland and found _that_ nasty surprise all on her own.

Nova hadn't told her, either. Not at first. And yet, even when everyone had gone from missing to _Heartless_, there had been a kind of hope. Keyblades could bring people back; Sora had a Keyblade. If they could find him, they had a way to save people from the darkness. They didn't know how, or where, or why, or anything else, really, but that was something, wasn't it?

Where was hope when you _didn't_ have a Keyblade? When you didn't know how, and you didn't know why?

_People vanish_. _Your friends vanish. They'd just- they'd be _gone_._

Suddenly, she understood.

_ :Too many dark thoughts; _ _emotions: fears, despair, hatred, the terrible things that people feel- _ _all of those things can gather inside of a Somebody... and build, and build...:_

Maybe Nova had waited to tell her because she'd wanted Selphie to have something better than fear: something to believe in. She wasn't as scared because they had someone to look for. Something to _do_.

Maybe they didn't tell people about where they were from or what they knew- kept the _order_ -because they didn't have Keyblades. Because the people they met couldn't do anything to save hearts from the Heartless, even if they knew. _Especially_ if they knew.

_It's easy to be brave if you don't know how bad it is._

She couldn't tell them about Sora. They didn't know where he was, or when they'd find him. _I shouldn't have... _

"It's not- it's not that easy. Not always." Selphie seized Pacha's empty hand and squeezed. His deep worry felt so, so real. And close. Too close to the same uncomfortable shadows that nudged at her thoughts, swirled out of place and back into focus. _Sad. Abandoned. Guilty_... Teeth bit down on her tongue to unstick it from the roof of her mouth. "Pete- he's gotta make her... afraid, or- or angry, or..."

"So, darkness tastes like burned spinach puffs and you can catch it like spototiosis." A morose mutter grumbled out of the llama. He kicked a rock off the cliff and listened to it trickle down the face of the mountain. "Sounds like we're all getting it."

"_No_." She swallowed and tried again. "Pete can't just do what he wants. Yzma has to have darkness in her heart to change into a Heartless. A _lot_ of darkness."

"And darkness is... being angry. I mean, I've been angry, and I'm not a creepy shadow monster bent on destruction and mayhem. Probably taste better, too- waaait-" Kuzco interrupted himself; paused. He stared at the distant palace for a moment, then said, slowly: "That's why he doesn't want me around. Because _not_ finding me, and _not_ killing me would make Yzma angry."

Pacha looked up from his sandals. "Wouldn't you being the emperor- _again_ -make it worse?"

"Oh."

"_Oh_." Selphie sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. Her jump rope knotted under her fists; she stared right at the sad little form bundled into the crook of Pacha's arm and asked- and _wished_ -as hard as she could: "So... what do we do?"

Another voice chimed in, cheerful and oblivious: "Heeey guys, how's it shakin'?"

__________________________________________________________________________

The man in black loved dramatic flair. His entrance had all the right cues, too: wait for right moment, show up out of nowhere, and... surprise!

Everyone in the clearing spun around and raised their weapons. The girl with her brown hair curled up at the tips, in particular, glared as she dropped into a defensive crouch. "_You_," she hissed.

No one ever appreciated his efforts.

Whatever. He didn't have feelings to hurt. The man gave them all an easy grin as he stepped out into the sunlight. "Long time no see! Glad you made it. I always get a little turned around in those corridors, myself."

"We didn't _ask_ you to-"

"Hey, you want to wander around in circles in that sticky jungle again, go ahead. I thought I could, you know, make it easier for you. See?" He tapped his foot. "Roads make for smoooooth sailing, in my book."

"That's not-"

"Oh, hey, so you know, there's kind of a group of Heartless somewhere... back there." Black-gloved fingers ran over the side of his head before they made a casual wave at the jungle behind him. "I think you've met these cats before. Lots of claws? Sharp teeth?"

The llama and the man with the green poncho- Pancha? scrambled upright at the same time.

"Uhh-" said one.

"Oooh, boy-" said the other.

"Anyway, I figured I could, you know, help out a little." A new dark portal opened with a whooshing oval criss-cross of shadows; the man bowed and presented it with a flourish. "Ta-daa! One time offer, anywhere you want to go. Whaddya say?"

Silence dropped. Then:

"Go through one of those?" demanded the girl.

"Again?" whined the llama.

No one _ever_ appreciated his efforts.

The man in black frowned. "Oh, c'mon, it's only a little darkness," he made a tiny space between his index finger and thumb before he waved somewhere behind him. "I mean, you really do _not_ want to mess with these cats. They're... uh..."

Shadows skulked out of nowhere, as if summoned. Heartless gave him the barest of glances before they settled from tracking to stalking in a restless circle. Dull yellow eyes blurred as they wove together, tighter and tighter: prey pinched between with Nobody outside.

He flinched; pouted. "Man, do I have to get rid of you all myself or what?" he muttered at them.

The three people- four, he spotted the squirrel, finally, taking a nap or something -had wedged themselves back-to-back and now waved their weapons around. As if _that_ would do anything.

The man in black made a noise. He didn't _need_ to help them. He didn't have to do anything, really. He was supposed to tail Maleficent and find out what she was doing, and, by proxy, tail Pete and find out what _he_ was doing. A good old-fashioned reconnaissance job that had nothing to do with the saps about to be eaten alive by Heartless.

Oh, well.

"Yes."

He paused mid-turn."What?"

"_Kuzco!_" The weird-hair girl screeched.

Her llama friend ignored that, and danced out of the way of a set of snapping jaws. "Yes. Send us. Over there," he yelped. A hoof jabbed towards a gaudy-looking face on top of a mountain, way off in the distance. "Can you send us to the palace?"

"Uh..." It was a place the man in black never been to before, but- "Sure thing, dude." He shrugged; then said: "Oh, but, like, don't get mad if the landing's rough. My aim's a little off today."

One portal closed and another opened. The llama dropped right in, neat and tidy.

Pancha, or Manco, or Pancho or whoever the other guy was, spluttered: "_Kuzco!_ Wait-"

He plunged through the hole next, vanished in a beat. The man in black grinned; cracked his knuckles. "And a-two." His little portal avoided Heartless like a champ as it skimmed across the ground. "Now a-three-"

"Stop!" The girl held out her jump rope. As if it mattered. "Why are you doing this?"

Fingers waggled. "Because I'm booored." He shook his head and let the complaints roll on. "I've got better things to do than follow you guys around all day. You're _so_ inconsiderate, sheesh."

The portal twitched. She tried to jump; fell instead, screaming: "Hey, no waaaaaaa-"

"Yes! Hah! Man, I am getting better at this." The man in black flashed a victory sign.

Heartless swung around to face him. They looked... displeased, if Heartless could be bothered to have opinions.

He blew a raspberry at them and pulled the portal over. "Look, guys," he said. "I gotta jet, but it was great seeing you. We should do this again _never_, K?"

They stared.

"Yeah, sure," he sighed and rolled his eyes; saluted them for good measure. "Laters!"

Claws scratched at dirt as the portal _snicked_ closed above him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta say, this whole month has been hell so far. Too many things to do, not enough time or energy to do them. Major upheaval at work and at home... ugh.  
I mention this because there _might_ be another upset to the schedule in the next few weeks. Hope not (because, honestly, we're getting to the good part, and who wants all this IRL nonsense, anyway?), but it's a possibility. Cross your fingers for me, yeah? 
> 
> Apologies in advance if we run into a snag.
> 
> Changelog: Chapter 26 got some tweaks because my brain would _not_ shut up. ANYWAY...


	28. The Empire of the Sun: Part XII

In a tiny village at the top of a gentle hill, two old men sat playing a lively board game under the thatched eaves of a small, squat white hut. A black and red checked blanket with a heavy fringe tumbled over the side of their stone table, while several red pieces gathered to one side had become the subject of a feisty debate.

Kronk jogged up the stairs to their ledge and saluted, without preamble. "Hello, fellow peasants!" he said. "I, too, am a peasant. I see you're enjoying a friendly game of checkers. Nice."

The man on the right waggled an eyebrow at him, a knowing grin crooked possessively towards his winnings. "I hear you say you'd like to spot in, kiddo?"

"Always room for more players," said the other. He seized the distraction with a groan. "I could use a break."

"That would be swell-" Kronk grunted as the small purple tent on his back vibrated with a restrained scream; tried again: "-er, I mean, do either of you fellas know another fellow peasant named... uh..."

"_Paka_." The tent dulled its reaction to a rattled snip.

Both men brightened. "Oh, you mean Pacha?" one asked.

Kronk looked around for help and found none. "Yeeeah," he said. "That."

"Oh, sure. Lives up the hill from us." The man on the left waved his last piece in that vague direction. "Nice fella. Busy lately. You here to visit?"

"Well, yeah. We're... uh..."

The tent trembled again; muttered: "_Relatives_."

"Yeeeah. That."

"That so? You should go on up, then." The man on the right waved off his partner's disappointment with a chuckle. "Say hi to Chicha and the kids for us."

"Last house on the top of the stairs," said the other, as he settled in with a sigh.

"Thanks." The big, athletic man gave them all a wide smile. Then he leaned in and whispered, "You know, once we've had a chance to catch up, if that offer of a game is still open-"

The tent whacked him with a flap of purple canvas. "Kronk!" it shrieked.

"Oh." he rubbed at the back of his head. "Right. Thanks."

The gamers waved. "No problem, fella."

"Any time you wanna stop by."

Kronk _huffed_ up several more flights of stairs before the winding road started to level off. Angry noises shouted for a halt near the top: he stopped and dropped into a crouch as fast as he could, while pointed heels dug a painful path from him to the ground. Yzma flapped out and fumed at the sky from the center of a vibrating storm cloud of shadows. "You idiot," she hissed, ignoring the misery in her wake. "We don't have time for silly games."

"Checkers is a competitive sport." Kronk winced and blew on his hands. "Very complicated. Not silly at all."

Black tendrils lashed at him from the edges of her aura. "We've crossed off every other village in this blasted region. How many peasants does this empire need? Bah! That Paka _must_ be here."

Concern touched honest confusion on his face. Kronk rubbed at his neck and stood; tried to point and dropped his hand. "You all right there, Yzma? You've got, ah-"

"_What?_"

"Well, I thought I should mention, ah, in case you hadn't noticed, but there seem to be a lot of shadows around here." He very politely did not mention where they centered. "It's, ah, a little unusual with the lovely day we're having, you have to admit."

"I admit to nothing. Curse the sun, it causes wrinkles. Now. Kronk."

"What?"

"The _door_."

"Oh!" They'd found a nice little house at the top of the hill while he wasn't looking. Kronk hopped over and rapped on the front door.

It opened quickly to reveal a short, pregnant woman with black hair caught behind a band of green fabric. She stopped the swing with her foot before it gave too far. "Can I help you?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

All shadows vanished behind Yzma's stretched smile. "Why _hello_. We're close, distant relatives of dear Paka- er, Pacha." The mistake transitioned smoothly into a nervous chuckle. "A-heh, may we come in?"

__________________________________________________________________________

  


"I _hate_ that guy."

"That's a fair opinion."

"I mean, I'm sure _some_ of this is darkness, but-" Selphie held up a hand in front of her face and blocked the dim curve of grey stone spread out above her. A tiny hint of wispy black fog trickled off her fingers, visible despite the gloom. "I think I _really_ don't like him," she finished.

"Again. Fair."

"Kuzco?" She waved the residue off, towards the ceiling. They were lying flat on the ground, somewhere inside of a sort of cave. Running water rushed nearby: she raised her voice to drown it out. "I don't wanna be mad at you," she said, "but I am."

"Also fair."

A sharp muddle of feelings poked out where they should have been boxed in. Selphie took a long breath through her nose, as one of the garage guys had sometimes done when confronted with constant interruptions- the perpetually sarcastic one that Zell was always trying to impress -and tried to think of the opposite of angry.

_Happy... I guess._

She didn't like how hard she had to push to remember; going through dark corridors wasn't fun. "So-" she prodded. "Why'd you jump?"

"Because it was the quickest way back to the palace."

"Didn't you _listen?_" Pacha's voice growled somewhere behind them. "We just talked about darkness- I can't believe-" he took a deep breath, and Selphie could _feel_ the shadowy tendrils of frustration radiating off of him. There had been a bunch of coughing once they'd fallen through, again, but she couldn't tell if it was sticking around or-

_Oh, wait_. No, she could try to-

The pillow under her head suddenly jerked free. Selphie lost the thread; made a noise and scrambled to her feet, grumbling. Kuzco had pulled his legs out of the landing heap to trot over to a carved canal that snaked back and forth in deliberate patterns before humming towards a distant exit. More city appeared to the side, around a crack in the wall.

They'd made it. Probably. 

A mouthful of water swished loudly between his teeth before more darkness spat out in a sticky gob. Kuzco spun to face them both. "Look, I can't do anything as a llama, all right?" Eyes flared. "I _can_ take care of Yzma and Kronk, as an emperor, but it sounds like we need to hurry or that's out the window.

"Think about it for a second. I can't do anything about the Heartless or Pete. I can't jump into shadows without blowing out disgusting bricks of black smoke, and sending other people- _my_ people -out to fight Heartless puts them in line for more Heartlessessing. Am I right? Sounds like a great way to catch darkness if you don't have it already. Not gonna do it." He paused and coughed. A thin trickle of smoke seeped out at the edges, haloing his head with strange surprise. The emperor trailed off into a mutter: "Which is weird to say, considering."

"It almost sounds like you might... I don't know, care, or something." Pacha had pushed himself to a seat, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, I've got to change back soon or this 'care about other people' thing might stick." Dry sarcasm dripped everywhere as the llama shook out his coat. "Anyway, Selphie, you and the other bodyguard look like this is the sort of thing you do all the time. But we need her less squirrel and more people so she can kick them around, right?"

Panic set in before relief checked the urge: Pacha had found and gathered Nova up before anyone stepped on her again. Selphie tried to walk over and found she couldn't move; stared after the tiny bundle until her eyes burned with afterimages instead. "Yeah."

"So, ipso facto notwithstanding, best place to go right now is Yzma's 'secret' lab to see if she stashed the antidote somewhere. Means _I_ can do what I'm good at, you guys can do what you're good at, and we get the Heartless gang out of my empire as quick as possible."

"Yeah... yeah!" Selphie bounced a little on her toes. The more the darkness lifted, the lighter she felt. Maybe her teacher would wake up, too? "Kronk said there were human potions down there."

"Perfect. Sounds good. Let's go."

A small chuckle broke in. Pacha covered his mouth as laughter threatened to spill out of his cheeks. "Huh."

Kuzco's gaze narrowed. "What?"

"I think that's the least selfish thing you've ever said."

The llama blew hair out of his face and looked away. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. Strictly a one time deal."

"'course not."

Something flashed between them: warm and... _right_. Selphie yelped and twitched at it, hardly thinking. _What-?_

Everything happened at once. A high-pitched wail suddenly burst out of Nova; shock dropped the squirrel as she clawed at her throat and gagged, rolling in the dirt, over and over. Black smoke poured out of her in waves: through her mouth, off of her fur, too much for one tiny body. Too much for everyone nearby.

Pacha was yelling; Kuzco wheeled and reared. "Watch out!"

Selphie's feet rooted to the ground in horror. Shadowy fog billowed into her bare legs: cold and aching, with even more of the darkness that had stuck to her. She shuddered, and the feeling shook her loose; she dropped and banged her knees on scattered stones as they smacked down. "Miss Nova!" Her hands trembled, useless and helpless: afraid to touch. It felt even more musty and sick and wrong, wrong, _wrong_ in the center of the fog. "Miss Nova, are you okay?" she yelled.

"Hold on, hold on," Pacha appeared and grunted as he knelt next to her. A touch grazed Selphie's wrist. More light sparked out; steadied. "Give her some space. It's all just coming out, I think."

"Oh, come _on_," Kuzco held his nose and danced in place at the edge of the cloud. He waved several hooves at the mess to encourage it to dissipate. "More of that darkness stuff?"

"We spit out enough of it ourselves when we landed. Twice. Maybe you're right-" Pacha glanced at Selphie "-and it got stuck?"

"Nowhere t' go," a hoarse voice wheezed at them all. Nova cracked an eye open and _hiccoughed_ around more shadows as they slithered through her teeth. She tried to push herself up and failed, flopping fast into dust. More little puffs of smoke trickled off: slower, lighter. "Can't- can't fix it. M'sorry."

"Fix what? What's wrong? Miss Nova, c'mon!" Selphie wailed. She wanted to snatch her friend up and shake the rest of the darkness out. She wanted to drag her over and squeeze her into a tight hug. She wanted to-

"Okay, so, you guys ever think about, I dunno, maybe taking a break from all the drama?" A familiar figure stepped out of the shadows of a cave wall. Pale skin and stiff blond hair stood out in stark contrast: the man in the black coat rubbed at his head and frowned at them. "I mean, c'mon, it's gotta be _exhausting_. I'm getting tired just watching you all run around. Try taking a load off sometime. That's my jam."

"_You_," someone growled.

"Me!" the man echoed them with a thumbs up. "Gotta be memorable, right?"

As they stared, his smile turned into a grimace and a muttered: "Okay, that was _way_ too close to that stupid catchphrase- gotta think of something better..."

The spear had survived the fall. Pacha brought it up somehow with both hands and a scowl, ready for business. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Selphie tried to do the same and found herself juggling and armful of exhausted squirrel.. She reached for her jump rope-

-brushed across soft fur-

-and froze.

_I can't-_

_ I don't know what to do._

_ I can't take care of this._

She bit her lip and tried, fiercely, to believe otherwise.

_You got this__._

_You got this._

_I got this._

_I do._

The hand at her belt unhooked her weapon and let it play out of the spool, one hard handle seized tight and ready for a fling. 

"Mmmm... I don't know man. Nothing from you guys, I guess." The man in black shrugged dramatically. "Oh, and _you're welcome_, by the way. I saved you from _so_ much walking."

Pacha looked from him to Selphie, to the squirrel, then back to him. "No, I don't think you meant to help," he said, voice slow and deliberate.

"Ah-ah." A finger waggled at them as the man in black put his other hand on his hip and leaned in. "Who asked for it?" Kuzco sidled uncomfortably; he grinned. "And there aren't any Heartless, right? Man, you guys are hard to please. It's a good thing I don't care."

"Then... why are you here?"

"Recon. Duh. Again. Gotta work smarter, not harder. Little piece of life advice there for you."

"Why was _this _smarter?" Selphie raised her mentor with a furious frown. "You hurt my friend."

The man in black pouted. "Hey, my portals are classy and clever. And darkness, but a little darkness never hurt anyone. I mean, I guess not-" he sauntered towards them; raised his arms as the point of the spear snapped up "-whoa there, guy, don't want anyone getting hurt now, right?" A wide grin, nimble tiptoes, and a dance-like shuffle brought him inside striking range. "Let's see..."

Selphie let the other handle of her jump rope lick out at his heavy boots. The man stopped, already too close. Wrongness trickled out: she could feel the darkness that seeped off of him; could see if quaver like a heavy black fog under every gesture, every line of concealing coat. Heavy and thick, it blocked all trace of his heart.

_If he_ had_ a heart._

The vision faded. Suddenly, Selphie had to retreat as the man leaned over her arms with pursed lips and a hand tucked under his chin. "Huh." He scratched the side of his head. "Except for this lady, squirrel, person, I guess. Sheesh, what is _up_ with her? I mean, she's got a heart in there somewhere, so she's not a Nobody... huh..."

Relief rushed out before her scowl clamped down. Selphie gritted her teeth and took a deliberate step backwards, shielding her teacher. She wanted to know: she really, _very badly_ wanted to know, but having someone guess what Nova hadn't shared and wasn't in any shape to contradict felt like petty gossip. She would _always_ defend her friends from that kind of stupid stuff.

An image of the raft popped into her mind's eye, without warning: of the last time she'd seen it, with Kairi leaning on the mast in the middle, a handful of shells in her lap. 

Warmth spread to her cheeks. _:We gotta give them a chance...:_ Hadn't she said that to Pacha?

The man ignored her, and wore the weirdest puzzled face she'd ever seen, like the emotion had half-started and stalled in the middle. He looked like he was thinking. Was he thinking? Was he feeling? _Can people without hearts feel?_ It didn't sound like they could.

She took another step back. A friendly spear inserted itself between them before the man could follow: she cheered inside as Pacha frowned on the other end. Even Kuzco had minced over to tilt his shaggy head in narrow distrust.

Eyes locked with hers. "Go away," Selphie spat.

They held that tableau for what felt like forever. Then, a dark portal raked through the air and shuddered into place. The man in black shrugged as he spun around and splayed his hands in casual indifference. "Well, okay," he said. "Not my mission anyway. But hey, that's the last freebie."

He bounded through on the next blink and winked at them with a wave. "Ciao!"

Darkness spun itself to nothing behind him. Water pashed gently in its wake.

Pacha waited a moment, then dropped the spear with a sigh. "How's Nova?" he asked.

Her teacher had already fallen asleep again. But, better this time: the tiny face wasn't pinched tight. Selphie cradled her small bundle carefully and shuffled back and forth, nervous for shadows the floor had already swallowed. "I don't know," she said.

"We need to go," the llama snorted. "Now."

Air ripped open again, right in front of them. The man in black leaned out from somewhere inside the swirling rift, a hand cupped over his mouth. "Oh, and hey-" he whispered "-try not to get too far from here. Okay? Cool."

They all stared at the space as he vanished, holding their breaths for another reappearance. When it didn't happen, Pacha finally said: "So. Yzma's lab, right?"

"Yeah! / Yep!" Kuzco and Selphie chorused at once. **"Let's go!"**

__________________________________________________________________________

  


Pete couldn't help the chuckle that tickled out of him. He'd arrived at some backwater village, ready to corral his targets. Instead, he hadn't needed to lift a finger. "Why, everything's runnin' so smooth, I'll have my Heartless in no time." The big cat plotted to himself as he rubbed his hands with glee.

The squat little wall he lurked behind allowed a fantastic view of the hut at the top of the hill. Yzma had gotten herself locked in a closet somewhere inside, with her henchman: he'd snuck a peek long enough to confirm. She was _so_ close to changing: black tendrils had hissed underneath the mahogany door. Anger, pride, arrogance: they'd all done quite a number on the swelling darkness in her heart.

"And won't Maleficent be happy," he smirked. "Shiny new Heartless, just for her. Why, she'll be thrilled, she will."

He got lost for a moment: mused at nothing with slack-jawed delight. Clouds scudded in lazy, threatening circles of increasing grey overhead. Gloomy and dark: exactly as he preferred. "Wonder how many worlds she'll let me have- with the appropriate managerial oversight o' course-"

_BANG!_

"Wha-uh?" He startled; checked the house-

-right in time for Yzma to tumble out the open front door and scream down the steep hill in a low cart. A woman and two children stood behind, waving her off with high fives.

Pete rubbed his eyes. Checked again.

A blur of purple streaked by.

"Whazzah-"

Shadows opened into a pitch black hole at the bottom of a steep staircase. Wheels dropped: high-pitched wailing trailed off in a lingering gurgle as Yzma vanished inside.

"Oh, hey Pete!" Kronk waved as he followed. "Nice to see you again, buddy." The brawny henchman didn't pause for a second. He took three bounding leaps: "Hup! Hup! Hup!" before the last sent him springing through the air into a perfect dive, straight into the portal.

Two old men playing checkers nearby cheered at the finish.

"Now wait just a dang-blasted minute here!" Pete stomped down the hill and stopped at the edge of the dark corridor- locked to the _ground_, of all places -and glared at it with his arms crossed. "Who went and left this here thing open, anyways?"

"Dunno." One of the villagers _tsked_, finger poised on a tile. "Showed up outta nowhere."

Pete screwed up his mouth and scratched his chin. "Did Yzma...?"

"Yep, sure did," interrupted the other. "Straight outta nowhere. Like my next move," he cackled and shoved a piece forwards.

"Oh." The big cat shot clear through utter surprise and into shock. "Huh," he grunted, for want of a better noise.

The portal began to shrink.

"Now, you see here-" he flailed for the sides and _pulled_. Darkness eeled out of his reach; swirled together. "Oh, no you doh-hoh-hoh-hooooey!"

A well-placed boot to the rear sent him tumbling after the rest. The man in black shuddered and danced backwards quickly. "Please don't see me, please don't see me-" his hood had been drawn up; it peeped over the hole long enough to check, then folded forwards into a slump. "Sheesh! Okay, we're cool. We're cool. No one will ever know. Hey! You guys-" he whirled and pointed at the two villagers without missing a beat. "Anyone asks, you didn't see anything. We cool?"

"See what?" said one.

"You gettin' cleaned up, that's what!" chortled the other, as he snatched the last piece off the board.

"Ahhhokay." The man in black pumped his fists high and whooped. "Sweet, sweet relaxation, here I come!"

The portal made a slurping noise as it whistled shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did... did I set up this _entire_ scenario with Demyx because I wanted a reasonable explanation for Yzma and Kronk showing up in the lab at the last minute?
> 
> *coughs*
> 
> So, anyway, you guys excited for the end of this world? Strap in, because this roller coaster's about to head downhill!
> 
> And as an aside, I really wish I'd been able to give Chicha and the kids more to do. They didn't fit very well in the story without making it zoom off-track and off to the side, and that did not work out, no matter how hard I tried. Maybe I can get them in somewhere later? I don't know about world re-visits, yet, so that's still a possibility, I guess!


	29. The Empire of the Sun: Part XIII

Everything swooped in a swath of shadows. Nova watched the ceiling tilt and sway above her, bobbing in time to an errant curl of brown hair. The motion meant something: she followed it with stubborn eyes, even as she fought to keep them open.

_There's... someone... screaming?_

Desperate effort made her ache with strain, fastened fast above the steep slope of dreams. Darkness had pooled thick, inky shadows into the narrow confines of her heart: she could feel it lapping at the edges, like an overfilled cup ready to spill.

A little more would do. Just a little.

She was so tired.

Faces and walls made echoes of themselves, stuttering fast, away and back, until every reflection had a dozen ghostly shards torn across the rest. Nova tried to focus, to orient herself, to pitch her spatial awareness into play and struggle free, but couldn't find sense in any direction; couldn't push herself above the murk.

It was a curious reminder of Wonderland's large room, somehow. She was small, and desperate, and didn't understand.

_I'm... where...?_

_ Who are-?_

__________________________________________________________________________

The ride stopped: no one stopped with it. Pacha, Kuzco, and Selphie tumbled from a stone cart to the floor of Yzma's lab in a familiar heap, straight off of a steep spiral track. Screams turned to quiet moans; the llama immediately struggled out of the pile and declared: "Okay. I'm done being thrown off of, out of, or into things. No more cliffs: no more trap doors. No touchie. Emperor off-limits."

Squirrel tail _poofed_ in her face: Selphie blew it out of her mouth and stuck out her tongue. "What about us? Do we get to be off-limits, too?"

"I guess Yzma's never dropped in here on accident," Pacha offered, already brushed off and standing.

"I'd give fifty-fifty odds on that, pal. There's two levers." Kuzco showed off the broadside of his own tongue before he shoved it back into his cheek. "Seventy-thirty for Kronk."

"Wait, is he better at guessing or worse?"

"Does it matter?"

"Okay, okay, c'mon," Selphie clambered to her own feet and stamped one impatiently. "Let's go, let's go, let's _go_."

They rushed in together. The center of the cavernous room burbled greetings: steam whistled with brewing potions, active despite Yzma's absence. Black, skeletal chandeliers lit the ceiling with dim candlelight while garish liquids in bizarre neon hues made wavering, radiant stains on the floor below. Fluids pumped constantly through strange collections of colorful equipment gathered on dozens of squat stone tables; storage shelves jammed full of supplies lined the walls at every side. The whole lab was a messy, magical disaster waiting to happen and they were going to poke at _all_ of it. "What are we looking for, anyway?" Pacha asked, nervous.

Llama hooves tapped fast: Kuzco picked between complex tubes and beakers with a rattled _clink_. "I don't know," he said. "Just keep looking."

"The last potion was kinda pink. In a little jar." Selphie made a guess with her hands and stopped before they squeezed. Nova landed gently on a table before she turned away from her teacher to attack the shelves. _C'mon, you'll fix it..._ "It wasn't very big," she finished, with a guilty wince.

That earned a snort. "Everything in here is 'kinda' pink," Kuzco nattered.

He was right, as obvious and annoying as that happened to be. All the obvious potion-type mixtures were a reddish or orange-ish variety of pink, stacked into deep, fragile, poorly sorted drifts. Dozens crammed onto every flat surface imaginable: _hundreds_ painted the room in an ominous hue. So much time would trickle away if they tried to sit and sift through the entire collection.

Selphie's heart sank fast. How long would it take Yzma to give in to darkness? They had to move, move _move_-

"Over here!" Pacha whistled at them. Heavy cabinets carved in blocky, animal-like figures lined the walls: he waved inside the open wing doors of a large, owl-shaped stone cupboard. "It has to be one of these," he insisted.

It was promising. Labels carved each shelf into a series of pictures for easy storage. All three of them crowded close as he ran a finger across the front. "Look. Lions, tigers, bears-"

A human figure appeared.

_Empty_.

"Oh, my." A new, sinister voice laughed out of nowhere. Sudden swirls of darkness parted behind them: Yzma strode forward with a potion bottle raised in her fist. "Looking for this?"

"No! It can't be." Panic lagged behind action; the trio grimly scrambled to defensive positions, even as Kuzco demanded: "How did you get back here before us?"

"Ah-! Huh." A strange look tripped across her features. Yzma tilted her head sideways. "How did we, Kronk?"

The burly henchman jogged closer, frowning as he brushed more shadows away. "Well, you got me," he said. "By all accounts, it doesn't make sense. Oh!" Kronk waved at the group. "Hey, Selphie! You left before dessert. Wow, what a coincidence that we'd all be here at the same time, right? I mean, Kuzco, you sure had us running all over the place looking for you."

"Right." Selphie growled. "_Coincidence._" The man in black had earned a good jump rope thwacking if she ever saw him again.

"Oh, well." Yzma stopped picking at the problem and shrugged. "Back to business." Her villain stance returned with dramatic flair.

"Okay, I admit it, maybe I wasn't as nice as I should have been. Buh- guh-" Kuzco stammered, pleading: "Yzma, do you really wanna kill me?"

"Just think of it as, you're being let go. That your life's going in a different direction. That your body's part of a permanent out-placement."

Triumph gleamed in a nasty smile. Every word lifted higher as she spoke, pulled by a wicked pall of delight. The space near the ceiling had begun to congeal into looming clouds: air spun in slow circles as it cracked and threaded through with inky menace. Shadows seeped up from the ground to meet them, coalesced around the scary purple lady as she stood in a nest of lashing tendrils. Bitter, powdery dust turned viscous as it filled the air: tasted vile as it coated the tongue.

_Darkness_. Horror tightened her breath. _She means it_. _She really means it. _Selphie choked; the wooden handle of her weapon _creaked_ in her grip. _She's calling darkness._

"Hey," Kronk chuckled, stolid and oblivious to threat. "That's kind of like what he said to you when you got fired."

"I _know_," Yzma hissed. Yellow light snapped through her eyes. "It's called a cruel irony. Like my dependence on _you_. Here-" she stalked to the nearest table and grabbed a large handful of potions. Her fist collided with his chest; curled into a claw around the single remaining human brew as he scrambled for the rest of the delicate things. "Turn his friends into lizards if they don't behave. Our dear emperor is _mine_."

"Lizards? Oh, but I-"

"_Kronk!_ Gah- why did I think you could do this?" The henchman flinched backwards, hurt written all over his face. She pressed harder. "This one simple thing. You can do this simple task, can't you? This one simple task that even a monkey could do?"

"Well, I-"

"Oh, there ya are, Yzma." Pete's boisterous voice boomed through the room. He stepped through another portal out of nowhere, and rubbed at his head. "Say, when'd you learn to make them corridors? Gotta work on your aim- dropped me clean on th' other side a town. Pretty handy for travelin' though, eh?"

"Uggggggh-" she clenched her teeth and hissed; words garbled out half-chewed. "What are you doing here, you interfering idiot?"

"Hey, now." Confusion met her wide sweep of disdain before he stroked his chin with a crafty grin. Pete gestured, and a familiar streak of sinuous Heartless flowed into the room. "Just tryin' ta help where I can, Yzma. Gotta keep my end o' the bargain, see?"

"What bargain? You managed to fail at everything!"

Selphie took a tiny step to the side and held her breath. The two noisiest creatures in the room had started arguing. Kronk seemed to be having one of his own as his gaze flapped back and forth to his empty shoulders. Only the cat-Heartless tracked her, with their flat, yellow eyes.

But, they held still. Waiting for orders, maybe?

_Good_.

She crept towards the nearest table, bit by bit. It was full of potions: so many different potions. Yzma wanted a fight?

_We gotta throw first._

__________________________________________________________________________

  


The cup spilled over: drained.

Nova blinked. She was lying on her stomach on a... table? An arm and a leg hung over the side. They were covered in... fur, the same color as a strange, fluffy tail that dangled nearby. She frowned: it twitched at her interest.

_Squirrel. _Right.

_What happened?_

She pushed herself up on stiff arms; froze as the wall behind her _clinked_. Glass trembled as Nova eased out of range of the fragile things and sat heavily, staring wide-eyed at the mess.

_These are... potions_. She was in a room full of vials and all the kinds of apparatus one expected from those sorts of places. _Melmond's Mixing Magic_ had suggested several options for efficient brewing: whoever used this place had tried all of that _and_ tripled the amount. Hundreds of bottles glowed strongly enough to stain the dark clouds above with an impressive pink miasma.

_Clouds?_

Nova _felt_ more darkness drain away from her; watched it trickle out in a thin flood, pulled by invisible threads to something far stronger than her heart could attract. Sleep cleared: her thoughts and her eyes sharpened to a grim line as the noise of a threatening storm finally penetrated lingering haze. 

Shadows streamed towards the center of the room, drawn to a single, bony figure in a purple dress. Pete stood next to her, arguing, while an ever-increasing stream of Heartless stalked at their feet, marked and separated only by tiny pin-pricks of dim, yellow eyes.

A lone llama quavered in front of them. Ears laid back, fur flat, he stared wide at his doom.

_ Llama? That's... Kuzco_. She recognized him, suddenly. _And... Pacha_. Memory supplied names for every unfamiliar/familiar creature in the room. The big man in the green poncho had ducked low nearby, to peep at the chaos over a convoluted carved leg, her spear in his fist.

The tall, athletic man from the restaurant was there, too. Was that Kronk? He'd backed into a wall behind the shadows, eyes wide.

That meant... Yzma was probably the woman in purple summoning darkness.

_Falling. Or, very, very close._

A nagging thought finally seized her attention with both hands: impatient. _Wait- Selphie, where was..._? Her odd little thread of panic vanished without the help of grey as she finally spotted the girl, crouched behind another table, a grim scowl on her face and a handful of bottles in her fist.

_Potion _bottles. Like the one that had changed her.

_Ah._

"-nothing a little darkness can't help," Pete was pouting, arms crossed.

"I _told_ you, I won't put myself at risk of..." Yzma's voice trailed off suddenly. She twined a wisp of the smoke around one long claw finger. "So. _This_ is what you were talking about." Her distinct voice rippled in a rumbling purr. A smile split into a sharp grin. "I should never have worried."

Heartless lifted their heads. Pete scowled at them; made a shooing motion."That there's the emperor," he said. "What are ya doin' standin' around here for?"

"Because they only listen to power, you fool. This darkness is _mine_." A sound like a crackling laugh billowed out of Yzma; fanned shadows wider. Only the Heartless remained still as the rest of the hapless room recoiled. They looked to her: eager.

Hungry.

She raised her empty hand and pointed at Kuzco. "_GET THEM!_"

Nova's tail flicked. Unnoticed by anyone, she slipped off the table and vanished underneath.

__________________________________________________________________________

  


"I can't believe this is happening! I can't believe this is happening!" The first of the cat-Heartless slunk forwards as Kuzco jammed his heels into the ground. Pacha reached over to snatch at his coat, but the emperor resisted. "I'm done for," he moaned. "Finished. They'll get me for sure-"

"Hey!" Selphie popped out from behind the table. Potions juggled up and down in her hands. "You guys ready? Catch!"

The closest cat vanished in an explosion of swirly pink clouds and glitter. Glass _crinkled_, bright, as three more sailed into the rest of the pride; well-aimed force flattened deep into their sides: _Pof!-Pof!-Pof!_ Sparks spat every which way. Tubes shattered; tables flipped. Shadows transformed: a monkey, a sloth, and a bat gathered with confused cats while a small salamander scuttled across the floor.

Yzma screeched. Darkness thrashed as she snatched bottles of her own. "You little _peasant_," she said. Potions sailed over the battlefield. "How do you like that? Hah!"

Sparks blasted Heartless to new shapes in a dizzying flurry. Kuzco _yipped_ and launched behind an upturned table as an elephant _thonked_ down on its edge. Pacha shoved him even further out of range and stabbed out with the spear. A fog of ash bloomed where the shadow had been standing. "Keep throwing," he roared at Selphie. "I'll back you up!"

"Booyaka! Hey Yzma, I found your lizards," she crowed. More bottles launched from behind her makeshift barrier with excellent accuracy. "Whaddya want next?"

__________________________________________________________________________

  


"ARGH." Darkness thrashed as Yzma seized the closest help and _bonked_ their noses together. "_You_. Get out there and finish them."

Pete seemed bemused. "Waitasec... someone's cheatin'. Are them Heartless supposed to be able ta' do that?"

"I don't care if the Heartless are cats or caterpillars. They can't keep this up forever. _Get me more."_

"Uh. Okay." He scratched his head and let her slide off. "Sure ya wanna do that? They ain't so easy ta control in bigger groups, there, Yzma."

"I want _all_ you can manage, you useless slug." Shadows sizzled in her palm. The potion in her other hand _squeaked_ as it ground between her fingers. "They'll pay for keeping Kuzco away from me. With this new power, I'll make _sure_ of it."

__________________________________________________________________________

  


She was laughing and couldn't stop. Something about the _pop-crackle-snap!_ of pink glitter clouds spread a silly smile across Selphie's face. Heartless turned into wildly colorful shadows of real creatures made the grin into a giggle, and now she had to hold her breath to keep the bubbling happiness out of her throwing arm.

Another potion launched out; another Heartless hopped around on rabbit feet. She nailed it with her jump rope mid-stumble and cheered as it disintegrated.

"Hey," Pacha waved at her from behind his own table while Kuzco kicked a turtle to dusty shreds behind him. As soon as she looked, the big man pointed to the center of the swarming mass of shadows. "There's a couple of cats still in there," he said. "Can you throw something smaller?"

"Yeah, lemme check." Bottles didn't often have labels, but she'd passed over a few already... _aha!_ Her hand caught at raised edges; she checked it fast, ready for a toss-

The image of a squirrel flipped her heart into her throat.

Selphie cast around wildly through vague pink haze. She'd forgotten all about Nova in the mad rush: fighting monsters, _having fun_. _Stupid._ Which table had she stopped at? Had the Heartless knocked it over? Had their friends stomped her again? Had- she shuddered and pulled up her feet- _did I...?_

"Selphie."

"Hggh!" The potion flew out. It hit a cat Heartless in the flank; missed a red squirrel flattened to the other side of her barrier by a narrow margin. "Nice shot," her teacher said.

She reached without thinking. Her friend leaped back to her former perch in the meantime, freezing Selphie mid-dive. "Miss Nova! Are you okay? You're awake." She wrung her jump rope into knots instead. " You didn't get stomped, did you?"

"What? No." The squirrel looked down. Furry eyebrows furrowed. "You're glowing."

"I'm... what?" Selphie followed her gaze and yelped. "The gummi piece." Yellow blazed to life in her hand as she tore it from her pocket. "How-"

"We're going to have to break it down later." Nova thumped her foot for attention and pointed at the large bottle stash gathered in the shade of the upended table. "Are any of those labeled?"

_What? The-_ "Oh." She crouched and seized a couple. Red potions sparkled by gummi light. Selphie stared, fascinated, and half-listened as she replied: "A couple of 'em, I guess."

"Good. I'm going to jump. Throw something big at me before I land."

_Wait- _"What?" She caught at a tail plume before it had time to flick out of view. It still managed to escape with only a few hairs left for her trouble, but Nova had at least turned around. "No... what? No, I won't do that. I already made you a squirrel."

"I told you, it's fine."

The exasperated look made her cheeks burn. "I turned you into a squirrel. And then you got dark corridor'd really hard-" Selphie swallowed. Hair ends smacked her cheeks. "No!"

"One has nothing to do with the other."

_That_ made her lean in. Chaos swirled to a muddy whine somewhere far away. Pacha and Kuzco had managed to distract the Heartless, probably: she'd stopped paying attention. "_Why._"

Nova's eyes closed. Her mouth compressed to a painful line. "Later."

"_No._"

"We're right in the middle of-" her teacher pushed at the bridge of her nose with both hands. Then she clasped them tight in front of her fluffy chest ruff, right over her heart. "_Please_. Later."

"Fine." Selphie was tired of asking. Maybe if there hadn't been people in black coats with dark corridors to shove them through any time they wanted, she would have been more patient.

_Maybe, if they'd never lost the islands, she never would have thought to ask at all. _

She hadn't paid attention to Sora's mom when she'd had all the friends she'd ever needed. And now something was very wrong with the only person Selphie knew she had left. "You promise," she said to her teacher; repeated herself, careful and direct, "You _promise_."

"Yes." The squirrel tail lashed agitated circles, up and down, before Nova finally said, abruptly: "You can't fix it, Selphie. _I_ can't fix it. Don't-" twitching stopped, loosened to calm. She stood up and shook her head. "Don't try." Her face turned away; short brown hair outlined the profile of her tiny chin as it tilted towards the cloud-filled ceiling. "I'll shout when I'm ready."

She seemed poised to say something more. Then the moment passed in a splash of red fur as Nova dove for the floor and streaked away.

Selphie bit her lip and clenched the gummi tight in her fist. Until her breathing slowed. Until it didn't matter quite as much.

Except it did. It really did.

She stuffed the block back where it belonged and dropped to her knees. The pile of bottles blurred. She sniffed and rubbed at her burning eyes. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "Okay."

"You got this."

__________________________________________________________________________

  


_This is why... this is why..._

Nova dodged around shadows, as close as she dared without touching them. The squirrel couldn't jump as high as she needed; stone blocks knit the walls into a smooth, steep climb. She needed a different way up.

_...I didn't want to... never wanted to..._

Pillars carved in the image of squat, round spiders held the ceiling aloft at regular intervals around the room. Thick rings were buried in some of them: ropes stretched from there into the dark thunderclouds churning far above. Raised, open black rings with specks of flame swung in and out of view near the end of thick lines. Chandeliers?

_...the children are good... and light... I can't..._

She sped even faster towards the closest one: a bear Heartless roared and tried to crush the flickering wisp of her tail as she dodged out of the way. It missed; staggered as a pink slurry fizzled around it in a cloud.

_...I can't break another heart._

It was so much easier to be invisible. As a person or not: the squirrel form she inhabited darted too near to Pete and his party of villains before she sprang for the pillar. The rope was tied close to the floor; a little faster and she might-

"Hey, uh, squeaky, squeak, squeaker, squeak?"

Supreme effort kept her latched to stone: the grey walls insider her were no match for the force of her surprise: at the beginning at least. "Ah-" she skewed wildly away from a newly unpredictable pair of knees before she backtracked and seized on the empty calm that followed. None of it settled into her trembling limbs or the fur that spat up all over her back. "_What_."

"Oh, you talk." The tall, athletic man was leaning over her. Kronk? His voice dropped to a whisper; shoulders hunched in to block Pete and Yzma from view as the man edged closer. "People talk, I mean. Woodland animals all have their own way to communicate, but-" he scratched his chin "-you don't seem very woodland-like."

"I'm not usually a squirrel," she replied, dry despite frazzled circumstances.

"Oh. Ooooooooooooh...." he winced. "You must have gotten that last potion. Uh. Very nice to meet you..."

"Nova," she said.

"Right. Uh. Nice to meet you, Nova. I'm Kronk."

"I figured." She drifted closer. Her goal was right _there_. "If you'll excuse me-"

"So, ah, you know," he interrupted; rubbed at his neck. "I mean, I could, uh- where are you going?"

She contemplated him as long as she dared. "Up," Nova finally admitted. "To the ceiling."

"Up?" He winced at the swirling darkness. "Uh... are you sure you want to-"

"Chandelier."

"Oh. Riiiiight." Kronk seemed to follow her logic as he stared at the boiling mass of Heartless in the center of the room. Then he reached for his hip and pulled out a jagged knife with a thick, black hilt. "You know, Yzma's not really herself right now, and the whole thing about being dead, well, I figure it's kinda permanent."

Nova stiffened and glanced from him to the weapon and back again while he scratched his head and seemed indifferent to her concern. "Seems kinda permanent, I mean. Anyway, if you want to grab that rope there-" Kronk pointed at it with the knife and offered his other palm to her "-I can cut it down?"

"Oh." She waited a tentative moment before slipping into his hand; raised herself to her towering, inconsequential height and leveled him with a hard look. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just don't tell Yzma, will you?" He clicked his teeth and lifted her a nice distance up the heavy line. "I hate being in the middle. _Really_ uncomfortable."

"I understand." Nova paused; gripped strands tight. Thought about it, and said, hesitant: "Thank you."

"Well, sure, I-"

_"KRONK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"_

Angry screaming whirled him around. The knife flashed. "Oh, well-"

Any more was lost to wind as Nova whizzed up, up, _up_ and over in a flurried arc towards the ceiling. A resounding _CRASH!_ nailed the chandelier to the floor; she let go and sailed out, through a vortex of darkness that rippled as she plunged through; burned as she burst out of the other side, lifted high on the force of Yzma's screech. "Selphie-" she yelled. "NOW!"

Flight paused. _She_ paused, in that brief moment between up and down, and wondered if a squirrel could be heavy enough to pound the floor to pieces.

Glass exploded against her side in a puffy fog of pink and glitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darkness encourages difference, individual strength, separation, and sleep. I'll have more to say on that eventually. I have theories- hope y'all don't mind, because you'll hear about them eventually. _taps fingers together_
> 
> In other news, September was fun. Moving led to unexpected delays- I'd hit the end of my buffer by Chapter 28 (how has this story gotten so long?!), and things were simply not lining up in time for last week to work out. Part of the reason I take a month between updates is to give me enough time to wrangle the story into place, but since August ended mostly used up packing and stressing, it... yeah.
> 
> Again, thank you all for your patience. Schedule's a little off-kilter now with no end in sight: I've got enough chapters planned to sail through to the end of October, and I'm reluctant to put a pause on that with all the interruptions that have already thwarted my attempts to update. That said, I'm not sure how this will turn out, yet, but I absolutely _must_ have a break before the next world starts. Gotta have the time to breathe and lay out my thoughts, so...
> 
> Long story short, updates continue for now. I will let y'all know as far in advance as I can what the rest of the year will look like. Thanks again for bearing with me. Hope the wait's been worth it. =^-^=
> 
> Changelog: Minor updates to chapter 9, 21 (really minor), and 28


	30. The Empire of the Sun: Part XIV

An explosion dropped in the center of the room. Stone splintered; metal twisted; glass shattered on impact. Heartless rolled away, _paffed_ to ash in an instant.

Selphie could hardly hold on to her cover. The large, up-ended table lifted by a knee before it landed in a heavy _crunch!_ that drove a crack straight up through the middle. She pulled her toes free with a hasty _squeak_, lost her grip, and tumbled backwards on the wave.

"Gotcha!" A strong arm caught her arm; pulled her behind a bigger wall of stone. Pacha and Kuzco huddled close to a flat end, crouched as low as they could go. "That was Nova, right?" the big man shouted over the noise. "Is she okay?"

"_Yes_." Selphie tried once before she gave up on yelling. Her whole body seemed to be nodding in time to rippling aftershocks: she seized several rocks for balance as waves rattled her down to her knees. Extra effort locked a tight hold to the barrier, and she reeled the rest of her jump rope closer with a quick jerk of her other hand. They'd need to move soon, quickly.

Pacha was watching her. "What now?" he asked, with more moderate tones as the rumbles quieted.

"Get the rest of the Heartless. Beat Pete up. Stop Yzma from changing." It was a short list with a lot of question marks. She couldn't explain how they'd do it, but having her teacher back in fighting form made Selphie confident they could get something done. Even if she was a-

"Yay! You're a llama! Wait-"

_What._

They boiled out at once: Selphie to the side, while Pacha popped up next to Kuzco. The emperor had extended his long neck over the top of their cover in a wary check for damage. Now he stopped cheering and pursed his lips; seemed perturbed as he turned sideways to mutter: "Is the bodyguard supposed to be a llama?"

"_You're_ a llama," Selphie howled at him. "It's _fine_!" She'd grabbed at the first vial that looked promising and thrown it. Who had time to read pictures?

Nova, meanwhile, stood at the exact center of a small crater, four hooves planted like thick trees into the floor. An itch seized her shaggy, red flank: she shuddered all over; tried to flick at it with her tail. The stubby thing waved furiously before she gave up and sighed: "It's taller, at least."

"Hey, all you said was bigger." A swift counter couldn't hide Selphie's grin. She couldn't see any Heartless from where she was standing and that meant they'd already managed one problem. Next came Pete.

And-

"How _dare_ whoever you are!" the scary purple lady railed at them from the other side of the room. Kronk pushed away from the wall to set her down before Yzma shoved him off and stalked towards them. Darkness continued to gather more tendrils that billowed and thrashed the walls. Great gusts of air wheezed out of a grimace as shoulders raised up and her head ducked low. Yellow ate at her furious gaze. "That llama is _mine_."

"Ah. Which one?" Her henchman pointed back and forth between the two animals. "Hang on, I'm a little confused here-"

"Useless!" She pinned him with her glare. "Why must you always be so useless?"

"Hey, I-"

"You pipsqueaks better buzz off if you know what's good for you." Pete rolled himself to a seat on the floor in a cloud of dust. He didn't seem convinced of his own argument, and laughed as he waved at them with a half-hearted shooing motion. "Heh-heh-heh... I got plenty more Heartless where those came from."

"_Yesss_," Yzma forced the word out through clenched teeth. "Bring them. Bring them all. Call on your darkness and _bring me that llama_."

Her aura flared, angry and wild. More Heartless appeared from the murk and gloom at the sides of the room: clattery stick-legs summoned a dozen more ants; tiny shadows rose out of the ground to hobble and leap on flat, pointed feet. And worse, even worse, more lithe, monstrous cats slipped into view, teeth bared in noiseless growls. 

All the potions had vaporized under the pounding. There might have been a few left tucked in obtuse corners, but Selphie knew she didn't have time to look. The jump rope twisted tight around her hands, into a knot, into the same taut line she felt from her heart.

Kuzco whimpered. Pacha sighed and brought the spear up again. Her teacher waited without shifting a hoof, while Kronk wrung his hands and couldn't decide where to look.

Pete drew her attention last. He hadn't whistled, or called, or made any kind of noise, but she couldn't help the shiver at his open-mouthed smile. The way he sneered at Yzma was... eager. _Hungry_.

Like a Heartless.

She let her sight glaze over to peer inside the deep, musty hole full of so many shadows she could hardly see anything but the tiny sparks of light that bobbed restlessly at her side. A scrap of grey, a pallid glow, and a solid, heavy lump of coal circled the smudged outline where Yzma _should_ have been.

Where Yzma _would_ have been.

If a river of darkness wasn't rushing inside.

"Oh, _no_."

__________________________________________________________________________

Nova shied; remained in front. She could crater a floor in any form, but didn't know how to fight with a body so unfamiliar. The llama wanted to run: she refused the instinct, and crouched for a spring.

Tiny shadows powdered to ash under the heels of a smaller shockwave. She spun on two hooves, overset, and bulled her shoulder into a heavy black cat with a cry. Vicious claws tore at her back; caught in rough fur as the she scrabbled for footing underneath.

More Heartless jumped to join it. Shouts followed. Nova pulled her hooves in and surged upright. Shadows tumbled: she bolted in an instant and thundered through the room, barely seeing, while the whip tail of the enemy on her back whacked her cheek.

It shifted its weight. She twisted her neck and bit: staggered to a halt and pulled as the cat tumbled over her nose.

Somehow, a thin black spear was there. It stabbed straight through the Heartless and set off a cloud of dust across stone remains and glittering piles of glass. Nova left her chin on the ground, stared into the wobbling line, and mourned: "I can't fight like this."

A strong hand helped her struggle to her feet. Pacha pulled the weapon out and swung it in a clumsy half-circle with his free hand. Little Heartless skittered backwards, then twitched and smashed flat as Kuzco bounced each one to ash with the collected points of all four split hooves. "Hey, I got it figured out," he said, as he landed with a smirk and a pose.

"You're just better as a llama." Selphie rolled forward to avoid a claw swipe and lashed at cat legs. The other end of her jump rope licked out and caught surprise as the creature split into dusty rain. "In general."

"Hah," he crowed. "See? Wait-"

Nova ignored them and focused on the room as a whole. Her eyes screened through the squirming mass of Heartless before they caught on a hint of blue and red: Pete.

"-awww... hey, there Kronky-boy, No need for that now." Her long ears perked. Yzma had resumed blasting commands for Heartless, but Nova still managed to catch a trace of the conversation as Pete reached out and patted the henchman's shoulder. "Why-" his grin turned aside, "-you're not useless at all. Yzma's off gettin' her revenge, and you're not interferin'. See, times like these, doin' nothin' is as good as doin' somethin', right?"

Kronk stared at him, slack-jawed. Nova missed the rest: she was already spinning to kick the next little shadow into ash.

There was no end to the darkness that washed like a tide throughout the room, flowed from the corners to the center, to the stick-like figure that raised her hands and yowled her triumph at the gathered storm above. Yzma didn't need Pete to bring more Heartless to her now. She probably never would again.

She was calling darkness. She was _using_ darkness.

A _thump!_ rocked the inside of Nova's heart. She lurched forward, shoulders bunched, unable to breathe for the pain that drove deep inside, again and again: at glass, at walls, at a prison with no escape. The darkness that surrounded them- the darkness she carried -wanted out, out, _out_, summoned with the same ferocity of purpose that set Yzma's maddened cackle to light the air with dark flames.

It couldn't-

She wouldn't-

"You're not. Getting. Out." Nova forced each word to stiffen her legs; clamped her jaw tight around each battering ache. Wrenching strain made shadows list; a sea of firefly eyes quirked into a blurry, endless glow.

If she could move, she could breathe.

If she could move-

Breathe.

_Move_.

"Kuzco! Catch!" Someone shouted: fierce screeching stopped the dizzy struggle with a _gasp!_ as Nova floundered. Old hurts shuddered awake; crept close. She avoided them and stared.

Yzma was struggling with her henchman. Kronk had caught her waist and held on, fiercely determined against the mass of writhing darkness that tried to slap him away.

A flash of pink glittered in the air. The emperor leaped for a bottle; caught it in his teeth. "Hah!" He held it out and shook his fist at the Heartless. "Now, we'll see who's better as a llama." A superior smile curled up as he bit down on the cork.

"Kuzco, no!" Pacha grabbed for him and missed.

"No!" Selphie bellowed and turned.

Too late.

"NO!" Yzma threw her former henchman into a wall. Shadows burst from her skin; trailed down the sides of her body until it was impossible to see where they ended and she began. Yellow filled every part of her eyes, narrowed above a juddering cackle that looped and spun, over and over. "No! You- no! _NO!_"

She screamed. Darkness ran to her in a visible wave, faster than anyone could run: faster than words, faster than thought as it vanished inside. The scary purple woman bent over, for once not scary at all, as a curious surprise wreathed across her face.

Then Yzma disappeared all at once in a puff of pink smoke.

Silence rang loud in abandoned space. Pacha tapped the last of the few remaining Heartless to ash with the spear, breathing hard, while Selphie stamped out from behind her barrier. Her jump rope wrote angry strokes into dusty stone. "Hey, Yzma," she said. "Stop hiding. You can't get away!"

"Oh, I don't know about that." Pete stroked his chin while Kronk slid to a groaning heap behind him. His chuckle had an ominous tilt to it. "Don't think she's tryin' to get away nowhere, no how," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"She's a Heartless." Nova tasted her own fear before grey walls made her numb. The pounding had stopped, as suddenly as it had begun, though dread ate at any relief. Streaks of blue crystal threaded through deep grey rock flashed across her vision; jagged edges of another place laced through stone walls and shadows. She clamped her jaw and pushed insistent memories back. _Focus. Breathe._ "Yzma doesn't have to run."

"Heh, heh, heh. No point to runnin' off if ya got command a' the field, eh losers? Nya hah hah hah haaaaa!" Pete put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

An ominous rumble shook the entire room.

Nova stumbled. A _clink_ of glass touched her flank, and the llama twitched as bright, blinding pink clouds swelled up all around her. She tripped and landed on her knees. Hands pressed flat to the floor for balance.

Her hands.

_What?_

She caught a glimpse of Selphie's delight before Kuzco met her stare. He looked away first, muttering: "Bodyguards aren't supposed to be llamas."

"And they need weapons." Pacha appeared at her elbow. Her very _human_ elbow. He held out the spear. "Look, you're probably not feeling too good after all that running and fighting, and eating all that black smoke, but I think we could use the help." A shrug followed a wide smile. "I'm just kind of swing it at anything I can see; I'm not much of a fighter."

"You've done great, Pacha." Selphie insisted.

"Yes." Nova took the cue. "You have." She felt every ache of every battle as she stood.

Renewed _thuds_ shuddered against glass. **_Protect._**

"Miss Nova?"

She dropped her hand from her heart and tried to smile at Selphie. Failed. "Everyone needs to move back," she said. "Find somewhere to hide."

Kuzco and Pacha dove behind more tables. The jump rope quivered, along with her lip, but Selphie didn't move.

"You shore ya wanna stand in the way, lady?" Pete gave his own evil cackle free rein. More rumbles shook the walls; loosed rocks shattered whatever glass had managed to survive. Something fat and rounded rose from the floor in front of him: a massive lump of twisting shadows swirled taller and taller, diaphanous and sheer as it stretched, and stretched, and _stretched_.

"We'll get it together, Miss Nova," Selphie met her with determination.

"No." Nova shook her head; wondered if the green eyes betrayed hurt or anger when they flashed. "You have to protect them," she said, and swept her hand across the flat of the girl's head to ruffle hair. It seemed the right thing to do. "I won't be able to," she admitted.

_:There are limits to what I can do:_

Selphie batted her off with a scowl. "I can handle it. I practiced."

Darkness finally stopped rising. It paused; trembled. Folded, down, down, _down_ into a package-sized shape. _Poffed_ again, as the Heartless finally settled into its tall, gangly form. A cartoonishly-drawn creature floated in front of them, more red than black, with dead, yellow eyes and Yzma's vicious smile. A ring of thin thorns spread behind its head in a fan, hooked to a tattered cloak full of dramatic drapery. Deep black spikes jutted up where hair had been; exquisitely tipped purple nails extended to real claws.

Someone _gasped_. The Heartless' mouth split wide to a gaping smile: jaws giggled soundlessly as it faded away.

"Oh, _no_." Selphie's wide eyes darted around the room. "Where did it go? Where did it-" her shout cut off in a spin.

Kuzco pattered away from his cover as fast as he could. The entire table had lifted in front of him, carved stone snake slithering in the air as it rose: heavy, unstable. "No touchie! No touchie!" he squealed.

Selphie dove; shoved him out of the way. Furniture broke on the floor with a deafening _thud!_ as they fetched hard against another heavy block.

Shadows ghosted onward. Another half table wobbled up and floated overhead: the carved monkey gaped down in leering menace.

Fell.

_ka-THOOM!_

Stone shattered in an instant, to a chorus of deafening screams. Nova twisted and blocked the next missile with a strike of her own. The spear swung out and batted it away; spun; dropped. She held it in the crook of her arm and waited for another hint.

The Heartless had vanished again. _No?_

_Where did it go__?_

__________________________________________________________________________

The man in black crouched behind a cracked table at the back of the room. He was stationed close to a tall, arched entry that was probably an exit, knees pulled into his chest, chin on his hands, as he stared at the action. A string of half-sentences lurched out of him at odd intervals: stuttering starts kept time with every flick of glazed-over eyes. "The big guy Pete was there gathering Heartless, until a couple of- no -can't talk about those guys- the llama's okay -maybe not the guy in the green... _thing_\- z'atta sweater or-"

He pulled a small notepad out of his coat and flipped through the pages. "Man, I dunno. Why do they gotta make this so hard? Ugh, c'mon-"

"Yo! Demyx."

"Yiiii-" the man jumped half out of his black coat. He clutched at flying paper and his dignity in the same instant; bounced to his feet with a weak grin. "Oh, hey! Fancy seeing you here, right?"

"Hah. As-if." Another man in an equally black coat stood behind him. The dark hood drawn up over his head couldn't hide his smirk. "Saïx sent me out to make sure you weren't slacking."

Demyx sputtered. "S-slacking? Me? No, I wouldn't- I mean, c'mon man, there's too much going on-"

"Yeah, this place needs a new interior decorator, that's for sure." The other man glanced over to the flurry in the center of the room before he seemed to do a double-take. Then, his voice lowered, soft: "Is that who I think it is?"

"Whaaaat?" Demyx followed the line of the black-gloved finger with a pained grimace. "You mean, those guys? Look like they're from somewhere else, right? Totally gonna put it in my report, a-heh..." He ran nervous fingers through his hair. Excuses trailed off. Finally, he said: "Man, I don't know who they are. They, like, showed up outta nowhere. Lady with the spear's got some kinda heart condition, though."

"Heart condition." The other man's intense gaze peeled squirming excuses back with uncomfortable expertise. "How do you know?"

"Oh, uh..."

"'cuz I can't see her at all from here. Might as well be out of the picture. Her and her little squad. Thought there was only one of them left... huh."

Demyx looked back and forth between his companion and the action on the floor several times before something _clicked_ on his face. It cleared, then narrowed in confusion. "Waitasec. You know her?"

"Of course not." A savage smile dared him to contradict. "But, hey. _You_ do. And I bet the Superior's going to find your report _very_ good reading."

"Oh. A-heh..."

"Now that I think about it, there's another cat who'll want to see your write-up, too." The other man threw a friendly arm over Demyx's shoulder and _squeezed_. "Man, you're getting more popular by the day." A dark portal whispered open in the entryway behind them. "Better RTC now and have your interview with your adoring fans."

"But I-"

"What? Aw- don't be nervous. Gotta strike while the iron's hot- get those compliments while the getting's good." A brazen wink flashed out from underneath the dark hood before it nodded, affably. "Hey, don't worry about the big guy. I'll make sure we know where he's off to after everything shakes out, all right? You can even tell Saïx I insisted if he gives you a hard time about abandoning the mission."

Spun to face the corridor, Demyx stood in front of it and gulped. Gently whorling shadows flicked at his toes. "Return To the Castle," he muttered, and minced through. "Right."

The other man waited until all traces of the portal had gone. Then the hood returned its fixed stare to the center of the room. "Well, well, well..." He whistled, quietly. "Never thought I'd see that face again. I think I'd be surprised. If I could." A gloved fist thumped over his chest before arms crossed over it in a cage. "Hey there, sweetheart. Where've you been?"

__________________________________________________________________________

Selphie tugged on a llama leg as hard as she could until Pacha rammed everyone out of the way. Another block _crunched_ into powder on the floor: splintered pebbles skirled in its wake and burst over them in a shower of pointed hail.

And then Nova was there. She lunged for the next projectile, an unhinged door off one of the cabinets, and pierced it through to the shadows beyond.

They dissipated into air.

Pete chuckled.

Broken bits slapped her in the side. She grunted; turned. Another piece of rubble caught her in the shoulder and threw her off-balance several steps before the spear dropped to the ready again.

_What was she doing?_ Selphie helped the others scramble out of danger; watched in growing horror as her teacher reacted to beats half behind the Heartless, too late to save herself from heavy blows. "Miss Nova-" _couldn't she see?_ "Behind you!"

The shadow tendril wavered as glass exploded inside it. More stinging slaps followed as the spear swung for advantage, before it lost cohesion and puddled into the ground. "Where next?" Her teacher dropped into a crouch and waited.

_For me?_ The shadows didn't wait and neither did Selphie. "Above you!" She pointed.

Nova swiped at it before she could deflect: took a glancing blow and roared: "Left, right, up, down, front, back-" the spear jabbed in each direction, spun in short circles to emphasize the point.

"Got it!" Selphie slid across her makeshift barrier and hopped to the top of a pulverized puma table. Darkness lashed in wild tangles all around the room, a storm of movement she couldn't see around or through. There was so much. How was she supposed to...?

A blb of darkness bobbed to life nearby. Selphie blinked and caught sight of an llama-shaped plant in a flower pot before it dropped. "Up right!" she yelled.

_They're too quick._

Fist-sized pieces of rubble followed, all held on invisible strings as they launched towards whirling, spinning chaos.

_Too small_.

More directions came and went, spat out as fast as she could go. If it was a game, Selphie would have been entranced. Nova didn't fight like Sora, or Riku, or any of the kids on the islands, as they jumped, dashed, flailed, and laughed with their toy swords, beach balls, and jump ropes. Her teacher followed every call, attacks quick, movements controlled and graceful as a dance.

But it wasn't a game. The Heartless was winning.

__________________________________________________________________________

It wouldn't stop.

Nova couldn't stop. The pounding on the other side of her heart fractured thought, pain increased with each swipe of her weapon. It tugged at sore things, at tired things, at all things best left buried and layered over and forgotten until they had become whispers of words no one knew. She didn't want to feel. There was no time to think. 

Memories took hold instead. Shadows swam in and out of view as she fought, molded slowly into more. Grey rocks stacked themselves into haphazard piles all around: tall, tangled patterns injected with distorted veins of pulsing light that splayed across warped, grim features. The sky transformed from a storm into an opaque canvas: some variation of blue or purple stretched deep and closed tight across jagged terrain.

_:__Across a crumbled, desolate valley, where a figure with burning yellow eyes waited-: _

The Heartless drew back. It fastened burning yellow eyes on her and waited.

_:Sound broke silence into pieces with ripping force. She pulled out her weapon and blocked, barely in time, as vicious strikes slammed into her guard. There wasn't enough distance between them- she didn't want to-:_

Thrashing tendrils slammed into her guard. Nova couldn't get enough distance between them, and blocked in an unconscious whirl. No matter how fast she moved or how much she tried to ignore them, old images poured through: each strike called another blow; each block another swipe. A weapon she desperately couldn't name hammered at her, over and over. Stones quaked underneath while-

_:A rolled blade of purple claws descended out of cold shadows. Nova parried, and groaned, as darkness rippled overhead in a trail of fiery backwash. A Heartless laughed, soundlessly. The creature hammered at her, over and over. Stones quaked underneath while-:_

"Watch out!" A warning echoed; distant.

Something _snapped_. Her knee pounded the ground, smashed numb.

_She was so tired._

Her thin spear shattered in the next moment: a sturdy line cut right at the heart.

_Useless_.

Glass _crinkled_.

The purple blade slammed down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are getting too long, and I need to stop. 
> 
> Also, did I hear someone ask for a heaping helping of intrigue? Wasn't enough already, you say?
> 
> _*tips over bucketful*_
> 
> Oops.


	31. The Empire of the Sun: Part XV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: emotional trauma, minor suicidal ideation

She opened her hands. It was hopeless. Nothing but air and two brittle arms between the ends of her broken spear.

In that moment, that fraction of a second of a stolen space in time, shock flashed white in a jolt of pure terror. Past and present merged, one with the other, each snippet sliced to fragments and collected in a mis-matched, senseless kaleidoscope. Grey walls retracted, fumbled to control a pain too tightly coiled, too dense to grasp.

Tempered glass fractured by a hair: a crack.

It was like someone had seized her entire body and taken control. The Nova that was ran her fists through empty air and _pulled_. Bright shards clashed across a yawning chasm, drawn by her fingers until splinters bled together into a single incandescent sun. A comfortable weight settled into her palms, caught fast.

And _held_.

The moment ended. Sparks flew in searing trails of glittering fire: streams of light bowed out and shot free as Heartless claws made impact. Her heart raced: a _boom_ juddered, straight through the floor, while shockwaves screamed outwards and flattened everything that hadn't already fled to the walls.

Sudden freedom left her staggered. Nova bent forwards, pushed her arms up, and locked shaking muscles in place. A ghostly radiance stretched between her hands, solid under her fingers. The Heartless glowered at her, unblinking, through the transparent outline of... of...

Her light.

**_Yes._**

_And darkness-!_

**_Yes._**

Her jaw clenched. The thing in her heart shook behind walls. Pounded. Fought.

**_I-_**

_:A heavy boot kicked into her side. Air hammered out with blinding force; and again as twisted, dark rock caught her half a breath later. Her body tumbled down, face-first onto uneven ground in paralyzing agony. _

_ Nova tried to raise herself and failed; choked on bitter dust and tried not to drown. Darkness swam above, dim and fading fast. Ungentle hands seized her thick braid and pulled up. Acid words seeped though rising fog, fired with pain that ripped through her body and nowhere else, nowhere else..._

_ "Coward," they said. "You never cared like I did.": _

Someone shouted until it became raw and static and nothing but noise. A practiced move spun her down in a wide arc; shook claws away with a hissing metal scrape. The weapon shortened in her hand- _no_ -stretched to its limit as her entire body aimed like an arrow and lunged forward into the Heartless.

An odd fizzle followed. Static bolts crackled deep inside the creature; gathered to a swelling core until energy burst out in a halo of charged electricity. Eyes expanded wide: a sort of almost surprise.

_:"You failed her.":_

The shadow thinned to translucent outlines, peeled back, layer by layer, before it finally sighed, and vanished. An exquisite crystalline heart drifted free and floated up out of sight.

_I wish..._ / **_I wish..._**

Light dissipated: Nova collapsed to the ground inside of a cloud as glimmering, restless will-o'-the-wisps stole what remained. Desperate hands wrapped around nothing. Memories tattered, bled to fine shreds and blown away. For one sure moment, she felt... everything.

_ :A flood of despair:_

_ :Fierce resistance:_

_ :Shame:_

_ :Joy:_

Lost.

She stole a moment. Or two. Maybe three. All the grey would give her, she took, and wept, until numb walls took her grief away again.

  
__________________________________________________________________________

Yzma's lab slumped around the edges of the room with a mournful note of unsettled complaint. Shattered remains piled into drifts against the walls, broken every so often as scattered trails made concave heaps where hidden doors in the walls had been blown outside. The few chandeliers to survive cast the room in a warm, ethereal glow, broken at regular intervals by natural daylight that ribboned around a lingering meander of dust in the air. Glass spread fine glitter on every surface; half-made potions gathered in puddles to stain the floor glowing red.

Selphie groaned. She'd landed flat on her back behind the up-ended puma table: a cat with half its teeth and no feet snarled above her. Heavy stone had been pushed into the wall by the staggering mess of explosions, crabbed forward with a corner jammed at an angle that had made it impossible to slam down. Pebbled rained on her head: she sneezed and levered herself up far enough to pat it fondly. "Thanks for not pounding me flat."

"Hey! Everyone okay?"

"Yeah!" she scrabbled out from underneath and waved at Pacha. Relief made her grin:. "Hey, have you seen-"

"Get me out of here!" Kuzco's furry rump waggled as he tried to pull his head free of a thick slurry of slag. It burst into open air as they rushed over, and the llama staggered backwards, knocked onto shaky knees. "Thatwasfunlet'sneverdoitagain..." he mumbled, dizzy.

"I'm with you there, buddy," Pacha replied in fervent agreement. He winced, and rubbed at a large bruise on his forearm. Cautious eyes scanned the area. "Where'd Yzma go?"

"She Heartlessess'd. Man, that was uuu-gly." Kuzco made a face as his jaw champed in agitation. "I think I've seen enough of her, _and_ her Heartless to last me a lifetime. I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks."

"I think I'm more thankful we didn't get killed."

"Or Heartlessess'd."

"Speaking of, where's Nova?"

Selphie only half-heard the question. She'd already clawed her way up a haphazard stack of stone and now perched on top of another half-eaten table with renewed energy. That strange beam of light- _the weapon... thing?_ -had gone, she was sure, but the Heartless could still be anywhere. They needed to re-group and- "Over there!" She pointed towards a familiar red jacket through a gap in the haze, then cupped her hands over her mouth and hollered: "Hang on, Miss Nova, we're comin-"

That was all she managed. Something _snapped_, the table _jumped_, and dust _foomed_ in a blazing race to the bottom.

The boys yelled after her. Selphie tried to brake and tumbled end over end instead; _squeaked_ as she slapped against a bruising black wall. It moved, and she rolled over again to stare up into the shadows of a deep, faceless hood.

"Hey there, scrappy." There had to be a person _somewhere_ behind the whorls of dirty clouds and darkness. Ornate metal drawstring pulls swam in restless circles above her with every hitch of breath as the man in the black coat chuckled. "What's the rush?" He leaned closer. "Party's over."

"_You._" Selphie scrambled out from underneath as fast as she could on the slippery, uneven ground. Loose rock covered every possible part of the floor in the small space she'd fallen into: made it difficult to find where to put her feet in the lingering, cloudy murk. She pulled out her jump rope and started spinning it, carefully. "What do you want now?"

"Ooo, angry eyes. Not very scary, just so you know. Gotta work on the delivery. That little toy you have there doesn't have the same kind of intimidation factor all on its own."

Her face went hot. "What are you talking about?" she growled. "_Go away_."

"Just some friendly conversation to pass the time. You know, you're more the sidekick variety than the main event, aren't you?"

The man's voice sounded different now. Deeper. _It's gotta be him... right?_ "Are you... you're not that guy I saw-"

"_Nope_." His word popped dramatically. "In the same organization, if you couldn't tell by the dress code." The new man in the black coat spread his arms wide. "Gotta look the part. Easier to intimidate other people when you have the appearance, _and_ the weapon to back it up, if you know what I mean."

The guy didn't have anything- he didn't have anything she could _see_, but Selphie stepped back all the same, against a heavy slab. "What do you want?" Her voice cracked behind her scowl.

"Oh, not much. Not much at all." He seemed to laugh to himself from somewhere deep inside the hood. A quick gesture ripped open a void behind him: black shadows feathered upwards to form the familiar shape of a dark corridor. "Seems like the action's winding down, anyway," he mused, "but be sure to stick close to your friend for me, would you? I'd hate to lose track of her again."

"Hey, what-"

"Selphie." A warm, solid presence stepped in: Pacha steadied her with a hand at her elbow. He glared at their visitor. "This guy again?"

"Yeeeeah, no more of those things, weird black coat person. I'm gonna have to ask you to take your crazy shadows, your Heartless, _and_ your portal thingy with you out of my Empire." Kuzco fell in at her other side and snorted as he danced in place to catch his footing. "We're operating on a strict, no-darkness policy around here now, and that includes that fashion disaster with way too many zippers you're wearing." 

To everyone's surprise, the man bowed. "Aw. Heh. Don't worry your pretty little head, your llama-ship. You won't see us again. This tiny little world hardly has enough hearts to care about, anyway." He snickered, and backed into the corridor with a wave. "Can't say the same for your other big problem, though. Ciao."

"Hey, wait a minute-"

A roar interrupted them. "YOU TWERPS BETTER BE RUNNIN' IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YA!"

"Oh, no." Even more dirt and dust kicked up in a collapse towards the center of the room. Selphie considered the abandoned space where the other man in black had vanished and didn't pause for a second. She bolted for the new noise, Pacha and Kuzco at her heels.

Pete roared out from underneath more debris, right as they cleared the dusty miasma. He landed with a great _thump!_ near the middle of the room...

...and Nova.

_Oh, no, no, no, no..._

The familiar red jacket seemed frozen in place in a small huddle; her teacher didn't move at all as the big cat stomped forward and _reached_-

A cabinet door caught him right on the chin. "Hey, what are the odds of getting out of that without a scratch, huh?" Kronk stepped out of the shattered opening and gave them all a cheerful wave. "Oh, hey guys." Hinges _creaked_ as the door swayed back. "Oh, hey, Pete." His smile dropped and he scratched at the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "You know, I thought about what you said, and I, uh, appreciated the advice, but decided I had to go in a different direction. No hard feelings?"

"Suuuuure. Nooooo, no hard feelings at all here." The big cat stopped clutching at his face to rise to his full, towering height and glare sideways at the man. Huge fists balled up; round metal knuckles embedded in his gloves glinted as they _swished_ forward. "None of you ya-hoos got them big keys ta make a Heartless gone for good, anyways. Soon's I find your old pal Yzma, she's gonna make mincemeat outta the lot of ya, see?"

He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

Everyone startled, halfway to shouts before they paused to listen. Nova raised her head.

A moment of silence fell. Pete quirked his ears after it and whistled again.

Dust made a soft _shuff_ as it settled even further into drifts.

Slowly, inexorably, the big cat ran his frown across the entire room. It settled, finally, on the small figure crouched nearby, and his mouth dropped slack the longer his gaze lingered. Pete tried to close it a few times, and failed. Then his whole face contorted in rage. "_You_," he gnarled out through clenched teeth. "I _knew_ I'd seen you a'fore."

_Wait. What did he-?_

Selphie didn't stop to hear herself think. She didn't remember when she'd tucked the potion into her pocket. She didn't know how it had survived all the running and the falling and the flailing around. She didn't even know what would happen when it hit: labels were a convenient commodity.

Even so. Selphie didn't care. She couldn't see anything but Nova's back and the simmering, boiling temper Pete threatened to spill all over her friend and all that mattered was that this time, _this time_, the potion went where she meant it to go.

Glass shattered with a soft _ping_ of silver rain. A pink cloud puffed to life in swarms of sparkling confetti. The big cat shouted loud-

And ended on a _squawk_.

Dust cleared away as an angry little bird bopped up and down on tiny stick legs. It was round and covered in black feathers, with two tufts sticking off the side of its head in a semblance of ears. More unintelligible noises grumble-spat out of its wide, blue beak.

Nova leaned towards it. And _laughed_.

It was a dry, gritty sound, like the noise of a rusted up machine barely able to squeak along its track. But it was an actual laugh, and Selphie's heart soared to hear it.

All of a sudden, an empty pot _clattered_ down over the bird. Kronk carefully gathered it up with a flat piece of rock to cap the open side. "This little fella's not on my exotic bird bingo," he said, "but I've got a free space."

"Miss Nova!" Selphie finally managed to land in front of her friend. She seized an empty hand. "Are you-"

Several things happened too quickly for her to understand. A white spark of light flashed between them, so bright it hurt. Nova sucked in a breath and broke free of her grip; curled in on herself with a cry.

Then, before Selphie could do or say something to ask what had happened or why: _why?_ a stranger glanced up. Brilliant blue eyes, like the sky, like- exactly like _Sora's _eyes -gleamed at her. There was a smile there, and sorrow, and a light that held answers to questions she couldn't guess: had never known to ask.

Color emptied out in the next moment, drained away to familiar grey. Nova shrugged and swiped at her cheeks. "I'm fine," she said, with her usual, intractable calm.

Selphie stared for several long moments into her teacher's face. Awe, dread, and horror churned her stomach to shreds; froze her thoughts. She shook her head slowly, then couldn't stop. "No," she said. "No, you're... not."

__________________________________________________________________________

"Hey, I don't know if anyone noticed, buuut I'm still a llama. Could we, you know, move forward on that whole _change me back_ thing?"

Ragged edges of feeling still littered the bruised remains of her heart: odd twinges shivered out with every weakened beat and thump on newly restored glass. Nova shook her head to clear it. A sort of peace came in the wake of grey walls as they swept everything clean. It was artificial, and empty, but she couldn't help the small sense of relief that escaped. There was... too much. Inside. Too much. "Are there any potions left?" she asked the llama. A small weight tugged at her hand: Selphie had latched onto it with her own. "Do we... have any left?"

"If you count the stuff on the floor, yeah, but I'm not licking random potions out of puddles," Kuzco replied with a shudder.

"Isn't there any more, anywhere?" Pacha picked up his feet and shook a sandal off to one side. Dirty little droplets hit the floor with a _hiss_. "Trying any of this stuff seems like a bad idea," he said.

"Hey, Kronk." The emperor trotted over and leaned casually on the athletic man's extended arm. "Help a pal out, huh?"

"Sure, Kuzco. No problem. Just let me take care of-" The pot rattled. Kronk bit his lip and tilted it up. A wisp of darkness trailed out from underneath, then vanished into a puff of air as he pulled the trap apart. "Oh."

A snort shook the llama. "Good riddance."

"What if he comes back?" Pacha rubbed at his neck and frowned. "He can come back any time, can't he?"

"Pete might not think it's worth the trouble, if he manages to fix himself." Nova pulled herself and Selphie to their respective feet. The girl wouldn't let go, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. Squeeze back? She felt so empty now: it was hard to remember.

The pot interrupted with a hollow _clatter_ as Kuzco tossed it to the side. "Okay, so about _my_ problem. Did Yzma have a secret stash, or what? Am I stuck like this?"

"Well, it did seem strange to have only one potion out of the last batch, I guess." Kronk brightened. "I can check the storage closet for you, if you want."

"Oh, I _want_."

They all moved off together, picking carefully around more puddles. Nova mused about her broken spear before giving it up with a sigh. She tried to follow, and stopped at the end of a tether; wondered after the girl holding her hand instead.

Selphie hadn't moved. Her eyes were glued to the floor as she fidgeted; her mouth opened and closed with a few attempts before she finally said: "What about you?"

Nova was puzzled. "What about me?"

"Are you okay? What was- was that-"

_Oh._ "It's fine."

"No, it... what?" Now the green eyes flashed at her. Selphie stamped her foot and raised a _poff_ of dust. "No, it's _not_ fine."

"Why not?" A tangled bundle of raw feeling pushed its way out of her closed throat before walls choked them down. Nova clenched her empty fist so hard it hurt. "There's nothing to fix. It's broken. Like me. I'm broken. I can't fix it. I can't-" her gaze drilled into Selphie: willed her to understand. That seemed important somehow. "I'm here for Sora," she said, finally. Raw truth cut deep as it fell back into grey. "For him, I wouldn't fade. For _him_. That's what matters, that's... all I ever wanted to do." Physical reactions to things she couldn't feel in her heart closed her voice to a whisper. "I have to protect what matters."

Indecipherable emotions flashed across the girl's face. She bit her lip but couldn't stop the sob that escaped. Quick tears dripped off of her chin.

Nova stared. _What?_

Selphie turned and fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for The Empire of the Sun. Oof. Quite the visit, hey?
> 
> There's a few more things to happen that didn't quite fit in this chapter. Don't worry: we'll give the boys a proper good-bye. And deal with... other things that have gone on unsaid quite long enough, don't you think?  
(I really hadn't meant for this world to last so long. Stuff kept happening! Augh!)
> 
> Schedule-wise, next chapter will drop in a week. No less than two interstitial chapters will be added in November in staggered weeks (probably the 2nd and 4th; haven't decided on more or not, yet), before I take a break for the rest of the year. Can you believe this fic is a year old and _80 thousand words long_? I'm gob-smacked about that, really I am. O.o
> 
> Before I move on, and because I really will have a lot to say after the next update and I don't want this lost in the weeds, I just wanted to drop a note and let you all know that the views, comments, kudos, all of it is just so, so surprising and wonderful to see. I'm grateful that all of you take the time to read this story, it's... near and dear to me in so many ways that I may never have the full capacity to explain, but the fact that people keep coming back to read it means a great deal to me. Thank you. <3
> 
> Changelog: Minor edit to chapter 21 and 29, fixed a typo in chapter 30 (YOU SAW NOTHING), and reworked more of the ending scene


	32. The Empire of the Sun: Part XVI

They'd found her another spear without too much trouble. In an unusual moment of perception, Kuzco had caught her staring at her empty hands and had ordered one of his guards to "cough up". Nova had looked to Selphie for guidance, but the girl had been reticent since their last conversation in the lab and wouldn't meet her eyes. A simple thank you had proved sufficient: fortuitous, as she'd found herself holding the new weapon like an awkward novice soon after.

She was still holding it like she couldn't remember which end pointed up. It... didn't feel right.

Nova breathed out quietly and rested her forehead against the shaft. It was a good spear, made of a thicker wood than the slender black weapon from Wonderland, with leather wrappings braided around the top to stabilize a flat, half-circle metal blade. The three prongs reminded her of a trident: not quite the same as a particular model she refused to recall, or the crude fishing varieties they'd used on the Destiny Islands, but close enough in size and shape she didn't have to shift much of her skill to compensate for the change.

It still didn't feel right.

Nothing would. She opened her fist in front of her, to grip a light that could never be. Should never be. Shouldn't have _been_.

_How could it-? I don't... understand._

The sky was as blue and cloudless as the best of her island days. Nova leaned the back of her head against the outer wall of the palace and relaxed on the bench she'd found; stared up past fluttering banners into nothing and let her thoughts drift.

Perhaps it didn't matter _how_. Or _why_. It only meant that she had to be more careful; she shouldn't try to reach out.

Her heart _squeezed_ in reply. Nova winced and covered the ache with her hand.

Yes, it was selfish. So very selfish of her, to want more than the single connection she had with her son. That was already well beyond what she deserved: what she'd expected. Walls kept darkness in check; she _needed_ them, to protect what mattered.

_Stop asking for things you can't have._

Another twinge scraped at the edge of feeling. Nova rocked forward and put her elbows on her knees. The spear tossed back and forth between her hands with quick snaps of her wrists: a nervous gesture, if the tremors in her body were any indication.

It had been so much easier to ignore the grey with mountains of books to maintain and a rambunctious child to care for. Days had flowed like water through her fingers on the islands. Now they moved too slowly; pressed too close. Fighting Heartless made it easy to expect things of herself that she couldn't- _shouldn't_ attempt. That way led to disappointment: to as much heartache as her walls allowed her to feel.

_Find Sora,_ she told herself._ Concentrate on that. Just... that._

"Hey."

Nova turned quickly, weapon half-raised, before she let the heel of the spear drop with a _thump!_ and stood to attention. "Your Imperial Highness," she said.

The young man in front of her wore an elegant red tunic the same color as his llama fur, a genuine complement to his straight black hair and brown skin. A cap with a flat, half-circle of golden rays stood on his head and caught an artist's impression of the rising sun in his crown: it flashed as he crossed his arms and frowned. "I don't remember you being that polite to me before, so don't start now," Kuzco said.

Then he flopped onto the bench she'd vacated. "So... bodyguard." He kicked his heels out to a full slouch. "What was your name again?"

"Nova."

"Right. Nova. You, uh, did us a solid back there, and uh..." he squirmed a little in his seat before he leaned forward and asked: "So is Yzma coming back from her Heartless vacation at some point or what?"

"She'll be back, yes." Nova considered the complexities of heart retrieval for several long moments, and finished with a helpless: "Eventually."

"Heartlessessing's not like _actual_ dying, or anything."

He seemed keen on her reply, despite the lack of a question. Her younger self would have fumbled for an answer: she fared little better now. "No. It's... abnormal. Not unnatural-" Nova made a gesture with the spear for support and clarified: "Heartless have existed as long as darkness. Death is permanent. Becoming a Heartless is-" _endless_ "-temporary."

The emperor made a noise through his nose. "Huh. Well, I sent Kronk to move her stuff out of the palace. Found a nice storage closet that takes a years' payment in advance, can you believe it? Figure if she comes looking, I don't want her complaining to me about her collection of spiky headdresses." He gestured, and a guard that had been hovering nearby pulled a giant burlap sack off of his shoulder. "You wouldn't believe it, but there were even _more_ potions hidden in there. Yzma sure had a hoarding problem."

The bulging bag at her feet had to hold _hundreds_ of the small bottles. Nova felt a faint echo of surprise. "Seems so," she said.

"I want you to take them."

The second stab of feeling lasted longer. "Why?"

Kuzco shooed the guard off before he waved at the other half of the bench. "Pacha tells me you're on your way through my empire. Looking for your kid."

A welter of emotion came to life; hungry walls swallowed them down. Nova cleared her throat. "Yes."

"Well, if you guys aren't staying on for fabulous wealth, fame, and the privilege of serving as my royal guards..." he paused.

She finally sat; tripped, mostly. "I- thank you for the offer, but-"

"-then I can't think of a better way to get more messy magical mayhem waiting to happen out of my empire. I had enough of fur and feathers, thanks." Kuzco finished with a shrug. "Plenty of human in there, too," he said, "just in case you want to try a few without getting stuck. Oh, and don't worry about the labels. Kronk said he fixed that little 'oversight'."

Nova blinked. The potions would be useful. She'd lost the ability to cast transformations: most of all, the spell that called to the heart of a world and set the form of a traveler to match those that lived inside. Yzma's potions would help them bypass that limitation; they could cast a wider net in their search.

It was... an incredible gift. She looked at the emperor and caught a trace of a smile. "I- all right," she said.

A curious sort of companionship settled in. Clouds scuttled by a late morning sun; warmed the stones around them. A day had passed: maybe two. It was time to leave, if they had the means. She didn't know if one glowing gummi meant anything for the rest, but surely they should try? Nova patted the torn hole where her pocket had been; scanned the entrance behind her and wondered where Selphie had gone.

"So." Kuzco finally declared, loud in the silence. He clasped his hands in front of him; leaned on his elbows. "About that thing you said. In the lab. About being broken."

Nova stiffened.

"Yeah, I heard. Only thing I might miss about being a llama. Just the part where I can eavesdrop, not the actual ears. Too long and furry. Can you imagine this handsome face with llama ears? Blech." He stuck out his tongue. When she didn't respond, the expression dropped into something more sincere. "Hey, so... I'm not great at this, but do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay. Cool. Cool. I mean, not really. But, see, I'm not great at taking a hint. Being Emperor and all, so..."

"Kuzco." Nova sighed. He was beginning to sound like Sora on a persistent day. "It's not helping," she said. And it wasn't. Something that couldn't be fixed: she didn't need... didn't want... the effort to explain made her heart hurt. She pinched the space between her eyes to find another, easier pain. "It's fine."

_It's fine._

"So, hey." The emperor stood up and put his hands on his hips; swung around to look at the sun. Two large, flat, blue earrings brushed his shoulders and winked in the light. "I'm not great at things like being friends, or being there for people," he said. "All in all, I'm a pretty selfish guy, and it took getting turned into a llama for me to see that. Not trying to attack you with a warm and fuzzy 'friendship is magic' routine, but I thought you should know. That you've got one. If you ever asked."

"One what?"

"A friend."

_A friend?_

_No._ She couldn't make friends.

"Anyway, come back any time. And if you need help, just ask. I still owe you a favor."

Her head was spinning. "You... do?" Nova looked at the sack full of potions and pointed. "What's that?"

Kuzco chuckled. "An upgrade from a small favor to medium sized, buuuut don't look too hard into it. We ever need a freaky strong lady who's good at hunting Heartless again, I got dibs on your new spear, all right?"

Nova looked at the hand offered to her. It felt like an ocean away.

And yet...

A tiny bit inside uncurled; turned towards warmth. _Reached._

It wouldn't happen. With a single exception, connections never happened. But now-

_Now?_

"All right," she said. And returned the gesture.

_ As long as the feeling lasts, I suppose_.

  
__________________________________________________________________________

A miniature diorama sat on a blocky pedestal in the middle of an extravagantly decorated hall. Green vegetation tumbled over the side, while the rest of the terrain built into a towering hill with a little village planted vertically up its length. The houses were cute, squat little buildings of white stone with rounded, thatched straw roofs. Each had enough hair style for each to have its own unique personality: some with bangs and a brush off the side, some with a pert, tempered coiffure held down by a textured headband of colorful material. It was very cute.

Except for the blocky palace thing at the top. Selphie scowled at the waterslide clipped to the side and pulled her knees to her chest. She had a fair idea what she was looking at, and the fact that Kuzco hadn't dismantled his plans for 'Kuzcotopia' yet bothered her. Hadn't they spent all of the rest of yesterday turning him into a turtle, and a tiny bird, and a whale, and _so many other_ types of animals before they'd found a human potion at last? Everyone had fallen over after that, and maybe he hadn't had the time yet, but _still_...

She should have gone out to shake the toy building at him. Instead, she sat on a bench and glared at it and really didn't want to be found.

Her... friend? _Sora's mom_ had been very strange ever since the lab. Not that she wasn't always a little different and aloof and not good with people to begin with, but this took it to a whole different place. Selphie didn't know whether to scream or cry about it, it was so infuriating.

Nova acted like everything was the _same_. Like she hadn't said... those things. The few times they'd talked since then, that little quirk between her eyes would line up every time Selphie wanted to yell, like she was confused there was anything to be angry about at all.

But, that was _normal_, wasn't it? Not for anyone else, but for Nova... Selphie had seen other kids- other teachers at school, too -roll their eyes and giggle at her when she wasn't looking. Their librarian had always taken things too literally, had no sense of humor that anyone had ever found, and had been so forgettable no one ever bothered to try to find it.

If it hadn't been for Sora, Selphie probably would never have remembered his mom at _all_. And that was so, _so_ strange when she'd spent so much time in the library, and Nova could whack Heartless better than anyone she'd ever seen, had magic and- and...

Selphie frowned furiously at her toes. For one tiny moment down in the lab, Nova's heart had felt like any other heart to her. Maybe stronger. And that had been _good_.

Then the little feeling of grey had reappeared so quickly the gaping, unfilled hole had knocked her off balance. It was like her friend had... _disconnected_.

Like her heart had been closed off.

_Gone._

There was something wrong. If Selphie hadn't decided on it before, she would have kicked herself for not seeing it until now. But she didn't know what to do about it. She didn't know what _it_ was. And Nova-

_:"There's nothing to fix. It's broken. Like me. I'm broken.":_

_ :"Don't try.":_

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Tears were puddling in her eyes again; Selphie rubbed at them with her arm and sniffed clean air up her nose before she turned to give Pacha a wan smile. "Yeah, I guess."

He sat on the bench after she'd scooted over. Another little house model sat apart from the rest, out of place at the side of the pedestal, with a blocky chimney gracefully set against its own curved, yellow peak. He picked it up and juggled it carefully in his hand. "I wonder if we'll still be living there tomorrow," he mused.

"You will," Selphie scowled into her knees. "You'd _better_." She dropped her legs to the floor and sent them swinging. "He can't destroy your village, you _helped_ him."

"Yes. But Kuzco never promised anything." Pacha sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Outrage flared. "That's not right. He shouldn't make you wait when it's so important."

"I guess not. But, he's the emperor, and he's been gone for a few days. I expect he has a lot to catch up on." The big man raised an eyebrow. "How long are you and Nova sticking around? Do you have to leave soon?"

"Mmm... I don't know." Selphie pulled the glowing gummi piece out of her pocket and stared at it. "This stuff has to work first."

And how was it supposed to work, exactly? The block had lit somewhere between the last dark corridor and the lab, and that made a _lot_ of variables to consider.

It hadn't been the darkness, she was sure. They'd been through too many portals: someone would have seen it glowing long before the lab. And that probably ruled out the Heartless, too, since they were walking, fighting, heart-stealing darkness.

Selphie tried to remember. She'd been throwing potions: one of them could have dripped, maybe. The change hadn't been obvious until Nova had appeared and said-

Fresh tears spilled over her cheeks. Her friend had made a_ promise._ They were going to _talk._

And then she'd said she didn't care about anyone but _Sora_.

"Whoa, hey, whoa," Pacha seemed dumbfounded. "Was it something I said?"

"No." Selphie bit her lip and twisted a curled hair end tight around her fingers. All together, that scaled crying back to tolerable levels. She hiccoughed and rubbed at her face with the back of her hand. "I don't know. What to do. All my friends are gone."

"Now that's not true. You and I are friends, aren't we?" He patted her shoulder. "And Kuzco. And Nova-"

"She said she wasn't. She said she had to protect what matters, and that was _Sora_. She's just here for _him_." _Not me._

_ Not friends._

Pacha seemed surprised. "I don't know if I believe that," he said.

"It's true!" Selphie glared, but didn't have the heart for it. She balled her hands into fists and shrank into herself instead. "That's what she told me."

"Huh." The big man leaned back to stare at the ceiling somewhere far, far above them. Hundreds of banners lined the walls on either side, set in a perpendicular march down the long hall. His eyes trailed down one, nearly to the floor, before they returned to the tiny house he held in his hand. "You know," he mused, "sometimes I think when people do things to try to push us away, what they're really doing is asking for us to understand something about them that they don't know how to put into words."

Selphie kicked her legs back until the sandals nearly popped off her heels. "You mean they say things they don't really mean," she muttered.

"Something like that." Pacha studied the model. "And, maybe they really do want to be left alone, and that's up to them. Or, maybe they're like Kuzco, and they're really good people deep down, but they just don't know how to connect with others." He had a sad smile as he put his chin on his hand. "Not everybody's good at making friends."

Selphie looked between him and the tiny house and back again. "But, that doesn't matter if _I'm_ good at making friends, does it?"

She knew before Pacha shook his head. "It's not like that," he said. "Everyone has to reach out to make a real connection. I can't make Kuzco a better person, he has to do that himself." He smiled then. "All I can do is give him a chance to try."

"Hm." Selphie plucked at her knees. She thought of the raft, sailing away without her.

But Nova had stuck around. No matter what she said, she hadn't left. Didn't mean she didn't want to, but-

_Did she... want to?_

_Had her friends meant to leave? Without saying anything?_

They'd never talked: that was the problem. She had never tried to talk to Sora, or Riku, or Kairi about their raft. They hadn't said anything, either, but maybe her friends would have taken her, if she'd asked; told her _why_. "We have to give them a chance." Selphie surprised herself with a firm nod. Hadn't she already decided that?

"So."

A short, thin man had crept into the hall and now stood near the diorama in front of them, arms crossed. It took longer than it should have to recognize Kuzco: the red tunic matched to the color of his llama fur gave him away from the start, even if frowning petulance hadn't made the connection obvious. "So," he repeated. Louder. "You lied to me."

Pacha and Selphie exchanged dubious surprise. "I did? / When?" they asked in unison.

A smirk nearly broke his scowl; Kuzco coughed and continued: "Yeah. You said when the sun hits this ridge just right 'these hills sing'. Well pal-" hands framed the top of the model before they waved out in disgust "-I was dragged all over those hills and I did not hear any _singing_."

The emperor gave them a full view of his back; ruined the moment as he peeked over his shoulder.

Pacha smiled.

"So," Kuzco reached over and grabbed his blocky palace piece. "I'll be building my summer home on a more _magical_ hill." The waterslide went next. "_Thank you._"

He beckoned. Pacha chuckled and handed over the model he had been staring at. "Heh. Couldn't pull the wool over your eyes, huh?"

"No, no, I'm sharp, I'm on it. Looks like you and your family are stuck on the tuneless hilltop forever, pal."

His house dropped firmly into place, right where it belonged. Selphie couldn't fit her joy into a grin if she tried; she giggled.

The gummi flickered. Brightened.

She gaped; poked it reverently with a finger. Delight washed through: Selphie laughed again.

The gummi lit even more, until it shone like a tiny star in her hand. The answer made her feel just as bright inside.

_It wants to be happy._

She looked up, to see if anyone else had noticed. To share.

Nova hovered in the doorway. She gripped the spear tightly, something tragic on her face. It smoothed to unnatural calm as she walked inside. "Time to go?"

_Yes._

Selphie nodded, mostly to herself. Found a little bit of hope and a genuine smile from somewhere. They were going together.

They were going to _talk_.

"I'm ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endings are apparently hard and long and I can't contain them in a single chapter. Which is fine, I suppose, since the title was going to be a non-conformist mess otherwise.
> 
> Meanwhile, I am _stupidly_ happy to take a break from _The Emperor's New Groove_ right now, you've no idea...
> 
> I should warn you all that this chapter and the next became two parts in a spectacular fashion towards the end of my writing week, and will (probably) need some editing in post. I mean, I've given up on perfection- did that a _while_ ago -but they're still a bit raw, even for me. Hope you still enjoy.


	33. Interlude III: The Other Sky

_Aww, c'mon Riku. My mom's okay._

_ She's not okay, Sora._

_ Oh, hey, there she is. Mama!_

_ Hey, sweetheart. What's with the two of you? You're running like you sat in an ant-hill._

_ We didn't do that... again._

_ Oh, really?_

_ We sure didn't! Hey, mama? Riku says there's something wrong. In your heart?_

_ What? No, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? _

_ See, Riku? I told ya._

_ I'm... surprised, Riku. What did you mean?_

_ I mean... I guess... I dreamed it?_

_ Ah. Don't worry about it, sweetheart, it's fine. We all have bad dreams sometimes._

_ Are you sure, Mama? You're okay?  
_

_ I'm sure. Now, are you boys hungry? I cut up some of the fruit you picked this morning.   
_ _ Aaand there might be some leftover cookies in the jar. If Sora hasn't eaten them all by himself._

_ I didn't! I didn't! _

_ C'mon Sora, you did, too._

_ Did not!_

_ Well. Guess you'd better check, huh?_

_ Race ya!_

_ You're on!_

They reached the gummi ship without seeing another Heartless. Unusual, considering the sheer number that threatened other worlds outside- had _eaten_ the Destiny Islands -but not by much. Strong lights attracted stronger darkness: if a world had no pure hearts, it invited fewer shadows inside. The storm would overtake everyone eventually, with the walls gone between worlds, but there would be far less trouble in _this _world without Yzma or Pete to draw it in.

What was going on? Something terrible had happened- was still happening, if the Nobody in the black coat was any indication. The Realm of Light had fallen under siege by a collected power that should never have left the Realm of Darkness: that was the only explanation she could think of to explain the waves of Heartless. Had something come undone? Was it a coordinated strike?

If so, who controlled it? Pete?

_Why hadn't anyone tried to stop him?_

Nova couldn't say. The part of her lost inside grey walls chafed; weighed at her heart until it felt bottled and stiff, sore inside its prison. She hadn't abandoned her responsibilities by becoming unable to meet them. But it was hard, _hard_ to know of the danger without rushing headlong into preventing it. Sora would have done the same. Given a Keyblade and a direction to go, he likely already had. Her brave boy: she knew what he would do.

Walls worked hard to swallow that fear, over and over. They never took it all.

Not quite.

"Okay, so..."

Selphie had stopped just inside the hatch, a hair end twirled around her finger, and pointed towards the little room at the back. "I built a bunch of drawers in there. One could be big enough."

The sack of potions hadn't been very difficult to carry, but Nova still found herself holding an echo of gratitude to let them go. "All right," she said.

"Cool." Selphie glanced sideways. "Cool." She made an enigmatic face and marched over to the front of the cockpit. Buttons _clacked_; several lights began to glow.

The girl had been quiet the entire trip, Nova realized. Except for a quick pit stop at Mudka's Meat Hut for actual lunch, and a conversation with Kronk that had lasted for hours. He'd taken his old job back and seemed happy to see them, even buried under a mountain of orders. Selphie had hovered in the kitchen to watch him; the entire potion collection had been sorted into a rough mental catalogue by the time they'd escaped.

She desperately needed some writing material to keep track of it all. And a better hint at the thoughts of a teenage girl. Both seemed unlikely achievements to make.

Nova made her way into the cramped bedroom space and dropped the bag. The spear went to rest against a crooked cabinet. Across from her, two small bunk beds made for children had been built into the far wall, with a deep storage drawer under the bottom mattress; she pulled it out and found, to her profound and quick-lived surprise, a stack of journals. Pens and colored pencils had been tossed to the sides, mixed into a thorough jumble by ship maneuvers. All the writing supplies she could ever have wanted.

_Oh. Huh._

The floor underneath trembled suddenly: they were lifting off. Nova waited until heavy rumbles petered out to gentle purring before ducking out from inside the little room. "Selphie." She held out an empty notebook with a red cover. "Were you saving these for anything?"

"Saving what?" The cockpit chair swiveled; braked with a toe. Selphie slouched inside of it, cheek laid out over her elbow and draped half off the armrest. She frowned at the floor. "No. My diary, I guess. Sometimes articles for the school paper, when we _had_ a school."

"May I... have one?"

"Sure, I guess." Her head tilted. Green eyes glittered. "What for?"

They'd left the lights up. Nova glanced at the fuel gauge and found it hovering where she expected: right near the bottom. "I need to keep track of the potions we got," she said. Then, after hesitating for a moment: "We should go. You found a way to power the gummis, didn't you? We should... go."

"Yes, but-" Selphie bit her lip. Restless energy seized her; bounced her forwards until she was leaning on her knees. "Miss Nova, can you laugh? Smile? Please?"

The bottom dropped out of her stomach. Nova waited until the complicated tangle of feelings that followed plunged below her walls before she replied, carefully: "Not as well as you. Why?"

"Because that's how the gummis work. I don't know how, but they like it when you laugh."

_Of course they do._ Remnants of sarcasm made her sigh. "Of course they do." 

"I'm... not..." Selphie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm not very happy right now," she said, finally. "Are you?"

"I can be. It never lasts for long."

They stared at each other for several long moments. Selphie looked away first. "That guy-" she twisted her hands in her lap "-one of the guys in the black coat. He wanted to say 'hi' to you. Do you... know him?"

"No. I've never met anyone in a coat like that before." She felt a trace of unease. "There were more?"

"But you've met one before. A Nobody."

Nova pinched the space between her eyes. "You children are all so perceptive," she said, then added, quietly: "I wish you wouldn't."

That opened something up. Selphie had clearly heard, and scowled at her for the effort. "I _want_ to help," she insisted.

"You can't help."

"Because you won't _let_ me."

"It isn't safe." Nova gripped the journal tightly. Fragile fragments of the light she'd held in the lab; ghostly echoes of deep pain and grief... she closed an empty hand around her memories and held them fast. "I have to protect the things that matter most," she said, voice rough and shaking. "No matter what."

Selphie's mouth twisted. "Sora isn't here."

"But _you_ are." Her head shook back and forth. Some small part of her protested, even as Nova put as much conviction into her voice as she could, and said: "This is the best I can do."

**_Liar._**

The word struck hard at thick walls. Nova winced; gripped the front of her shirt. _What else can I do?_ she wondered.

**_Fight._**

_I can't-_

**_Try._**

Gummi pieces _creaked_; Selphie had scooted forwards in her chair, and was looking at her with concern. Sadness? A trace of tears smudged her cheeks, but her face seemed more... _open_ than it had.

_Try to... what?_

The fixed gaze hadn't stopped watching her. "_Why?_" Selphie asked again.

Suddenly, she didn't feel like standing any more. Nova found the other chair and sat; closed her eyes briefly. "When I was young- not as young as you, but not much older, I lost against the darkness." The words ground out with echoes of shame. She stared out the window at the stars. "My heart was lost, Selphie. I was lost. I don't remember much about that day, but, what happened, what saved me, was for the best." A sudden urge to laugh seized her. Nova curled in and waited for it to pass: to dissipate. "It was better for everyone." She cleared her throat firmly. "It _was_."

**_No._**

More words tumbled out: sharp, and pointed. "When a person is losing to darkness, like Yzma, there comes a point where they will fall. If no one reaches out, to connect, to save them, they will fall. Hearts are fragile things. It is easy to isolate them, separate them, make them... suffer." Raw recollections cut like broken glass. She shied away; buried them down, down, down, _down_. "It takes tremendous strength to find a Heart fallen to darkness. It takes everything you have to save a friend." Nova ducked her head and said, quietly: "Not many succeed."

_:"You never cared like I did.":_

Even more memories hissed their displeasure. Selphie interrupted the turmoil, eyes wide and round and filled with horror. Probably. "They... don't?"

_I didn't. _Nova gave her the thinnest of smiles. "There's always a chance. There's always hope," she said. "But you have to believe in it with your whole heart and I... failed when it was my turn. I failed and darkness was waiting for me."

"No." The girl barely breathed.

"I survived."

"Yeah, but, what about the darkness?"

"There is... one other way. To save someone. A last resort. It was used to save me." She shrugged, uncomfortable. "The same thing Sora did to Wonderland, you remember?"

"Yeah, but- oh."

"Yes." And somehow, it was a relief. To finally share. With someone new. "My heart is locked, Selphie. My heart is... locked." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally you wouldn't want to wait until _after_ the first 80k+ words to provide the thesis statement for your entire piece, but then, I've never been terribly good at being conventional.
> 
> Now, I am a plantser. A terrible, recently discovered plantser who doesn't write anything ahead and considers the vague, tuning fork method of aiming their writing at half-defined milestones in the distance to be the _best_ way to create. But, having said all that, when I started writing this story, I did have a couple of key guidelines I wanted it to follow:
> 
> 1) It would be about Sora's Mother, who got all of two lines in the first game and was never seen or heard from again. A common joke in the community is that Sora will eventually go home to a stone-cold dinner, and I _hate_ that her screentime does nothing to contradict that.
> 
> 2) It would follow continuity in the games. I'm still new to fan-fiction (hi!) and I wanted to keep to given story beats as much as possible to make it easier on myself. (As a sidenote... it doesn't)  
(As a second sidenote, this approach makes access to main Kingdom Hearts characters more tricky, but not impossible. We'll see more familiar faces soon- and one conspicuously absent individual who's been tagged from the beginning)
> 
> 3) Sora's Mother would be a badass, full stop. 
> 
> 4) As a consequence for being a badass (and because she'd just tear through all obstacles until she found her kid if given half an opportunity, continuity be damned), Sora's Mother had to have _something_ that prevented her from wreaking unholy terror on all the Heartless until she found Sora. Or multiple reasons. Lots of conflicts ahead. (I am not very nice, truth be told...)
> 
> 5) This story would explore a concept that came up in the first game and has rarely been revisited since. Heretofore: _What does it mean to lock a heart?_
> 
> It's glossed over in KH1: no big deal, moving on, let's protect the worlds, c'mon... but hang on. Slow down. Consider the implications. What do you mean, they can just _ lock a heart_ and it's _fine_?  
A lock is a way to close something. To protect the heart of a world, as the game would have it, and to prevent entry by the Heartless. But, what if locking a heart isn't an entirely good thing? What if by shielding a heart from darkness, even in a well-intentioned way, you prevent it from _connecting_? What happens then?
> 
> Welcome to _**Filtered Light**_. I'll see you all again mid-November.


	34. Another Side, The Other Story II

Water _hissed_.

Rising falls cut a deep, blurry gash through the center of a vast, shivering lake: ran cold to clouds in thick ladders of billowing mist as they spread aloft in a desolate sweep of steam. Shards of crystal arrayed itself at the edges of the moving platter; more water thundered down inside the barrier to rise and fall again, a never-ending cycle roiled out and away from the immense, hollow castle hovering over the heart of the small, broken world.

Dozens of twisted turrets pointed to the sky. Tiny platforms moved: a Heartless symbol carved into the front of the fortress groaned as the gigantic gears inside continued to turn. Little figures moved in a flurry of activity across its face, ready and waiting, _eager_ for the next spark of light that wandered their way.

An army of darkness. Hundreds of Heartless, bound to be disappointed.

A fist-sized portal appeared in the air: _squawked_ as a round bird burst through. It tried to flap and bounced off bricks into the high window of an immense chamber instead. Black wings braked; tried to slow.

Another tiny corridor opened. Screaming cut away with a _snip!_ of half-eaten sound; started again as the bird ejected out the other side of the room. It was still too far from the floor. More portals popped: a picket-fence of protests and a festoon of feathers followed the darkness dotted trail straight through the walls of the castle.

Pete stopped, finally, as he slammed into a plush carpet with one last, undignified _squeak!_ His eyes rattled in his head; rolled around without brakes. "Whoa-ho-ho-ho..." he flopped onto his face. "Drat those good-fer-nothin' yay-hoos." The blue beak smashed to a mumble. "I'll get 'em." 

"You'll get what, now?"

Short, precise vowels sneered their contempt. Elegant robes scratched nap backwards: a shudder swept down the tiny bird body as Pete scrambled upright and away from them. "M-M-M-Maleficent!" He chuckled and found lit brazier at his back. Warm stone caused his feathers to spread. "You- I didn' see ya there. Ehe... heh..."

The evil fairy towered over him. A even taller set of high arches dominated the entrance to the room behind her: they stood in the entryway of a massive laboratory full of pipes and machinery, with an enormous Heartless emblem at the far end, atop a ponderous platform that blocked part of it from view. Stairs rose in a half-circle of solemn fringe from the foyer to its unseen base. Heavy fists of color mixed with persistent black gathered chaos inside the mark, while sizzling energy scored an x-shaped gash across a surface: matched the spark of disdain that glared down at him. "You incompetent fool," she scowled. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, uh, out gatherin' Heartless, just like ya wanted."

"Is that so?" Maleficent's arm made a grand gesture; dry whispers swept out from the ragged edges of her cloak. "And where are these new recruits?"

"Well, uh, I..." Pete would have counted the number of Heartless he'd lost to the meddling, interfering, _some kind of hero_ he wasn't about to forget a second time, but swallowed that bad idea with a huge _gulp_ and stammered: "G-got all the ones I could get off that last world. Thought I oughta, uh, stop by an check on yous on my way somewheres else."

"You _thought_."

"Well, I mean-"

"Idiot!" Eerie blue flames leapt to green ire as Pete cowered behind a wing. Maleficent leaned forward: pale shadows simmered high on her sharp cheekbones. "While you've managed to fail at the simplest of tasks, our allies have fallen one-by-one to that wretched Keybearer."

"Oh."

Her eyes widened; squeezed close. "Yes." Sarcasm dripped down as she turned to pace. The Heartless insignia on the carpet appeared in stark, red relief at each dramatic swirl of her long, black robes. "A single Princess of Heart yet remains to retrieve before the door to ultimate darkness opens. That boy will interfere with my plans. I _must_ have more Heartless before he arrives." She stopped: a long, thin finger with a sharp nail stabbed towards him. "You will find me an army and send them here. At _once_."

"Sure. Sure. Whatever you say, yer lady-ship." Pete's nod bopped his tiny body up and down. Then he stumbled. "Waitasec... you got all them other Princesses already?"

Rage crossed into exasperation. "Oh, you're hopeless." Maleficent seemed to sigh. Her scepter made a fluid arc across the room. "Learn to master the power of observation, _fool_."

"Wuh?"

The entryway was open and echoing, with three deep golden braziers spaced evenly along both sides of a wide carpet. Pedestals had been set into the walls behind every blue fire, rough, bell-shaped outlines filled with the same translucent glow. And inside each, bound upright by stiff, rock-like enchantments, a woman slept.

They were entirely similar, yet clearly distinct. One short girl in a blue frock and a white apron seemed the most out of place; the rest were older, ethereal in their beauty. All hailed from different places, different worlds: subtle cues in dress and form made their origins unique. Even so, an identical light emanated from every fixed prison: warm and strong. Bright, despite the gloom.

Pete flinched away; rubbed his feathers together. "Oh," he said.

"_Oh_," Maleficent mocked him. "Six maidens with hearts of purest light, and you notice none of them. An utter disgrace." She sniffed. "What use are you to me?"

"Well, I-" he straightened and puffed out. A wing thumped his chest. "Plenty useful, milady. I'll get that there Heartless army for you, just you wait."

"Hmph. See that you do." Scorn made way for haughty presumption. Maleficent strode towards the exit without a backwards glance; her staff struck raw stone with a _th__whap!_ of finality. "Now, begone," she said. "And do _not_ fail me."

"Oh, sure, sure, no problem... uh, but-" he waggled his wings "-could ya...?" 

Ancient doors slammed shut behind her. A thread of sickly green magic burst in its wake; enveloped him like a slap.

Pete cowered away. It _burned_ and he yelled, tiny, piping voice drawn larger and louder until the big cat reached the right size screaming: "Ow-hoo-hoo-ow!"

He crashed onto the floor and rolled. Fire smoldered on the carpet; flickered out. More flames hissed in distant sympathy as they kept to their well-tended bowls on the outskirts of the display, even as Pete knocked into one of them. The square base of the brazier held: he groaned in extra pain at pitiless stone and fell onto his back with a heavy _thud_.

Thick black fingers stuck out of stiff blue gauntlets. His own hands: Pete waved them towards the ceiling. "Now, ya don't have'ta be like that, Maleficent," he pouted. "I got this."

He just needed to collect as many Heartless as he could.

And...

Pete lumbered to his feet. Something like a smile lowered his jaw: he snickered, wheezed, and gripped his side with a hard frown. "Heh-heh-heh-hh-ow... well, now I gotta find me an army, but there ain't nothin' sayin' I can't send them Heartless here from anywheres. There's plenty a darkness all over. No need ta be picky.

"And if that goody-two shoes and her pint-sized pipsqueak ain't on that there llama world no more, I'll find 'em on another." Knuckles cracked: a dark corridor shivered open in the center of the room. The big cat snorted at shadows and tromped inside, still muttering: "I owe 'em fer all the trouble. And 'specially that key-swingin' hero type I ain't seen since th' ol' king died: 'bout time I got me some proper revenge. Ain't nobody messes with ol' Pete and gets away with it, see!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look, the main plot! O.O
> 
> I think if I had any regrets for this fic, it's that I don't get to spend more time in areas like Hollow Bastion. Arriving at the foot of the Rising Falls for the first time in KH1 was truly an experience. 
> 
> In other news, it's a short-er chapter than usual. Hope you'll forgive me. I took a small break and had to re-learn how to write.  
Also, MoM came out, and now I can't type very well. (Ow, wrists)
> 
> Oh, and hey, happy birthday to the fic! One year old, and I can't believe it's still running. In a state of perpetual disbelief over here, don't mind me. Here's to another year of fun, angst, and a healthy dash of adventure- thanks for reading!
> 
> Next update is scheduled for the last Sunday of the month and is expected to be a mite bit longer. Gotta check in with that _other_ group.
> 
> Changelog: Tags adjusted; Chapter 32 and 33 had some minor changes, nothing serious


	35. Another Side, The Other Story III

"What did you say?"

"Hah. Don't tell me you've gone deaf, old man."

"How _dare_ you."

The man in the black coat pulled down his hood. An eyepatch shaded half of his expression, but not far enough to drown his wide smirk. "Oh. Waaait," he drawled. "Guess you're not _that_ old in comparison."

His opponent scowled; leaned forward and closed the gap between them with cold scorn. "As compared to _whom_?"

A breezy laugh met his advance. "Hey, are we really going to chat about my standards for who gets called a crusty old geezer, or are we more interested in the news of the day?"

"The point is well made." A sonorous voice snapped them both to attention. The two combatants shifted in their seats, casual sneer matched to hooded glare, drawstring pulls jingling.

Numerous echoes followed with uneasy energy. Leather creaked and metal rustled around the wide, white room as more black coated figures matched their movements: eleven subordinates summoned to a space between light and dark drew themselves into a circle of obedient submission to attend the highest gaze of all.

"However," their Superior continued idly, "you have yet to explain what benefit this information could bring to the Organization." A heavy, flat expression dismissed and searched for answers in the same breath.

"Yes, Xigbar." Another man spoke. He sat furthest to the left in the round of elevated gray and white thrones, mid-level compared to the variable height of every other seat in the cavernous space, yet still balanced with stiff ease far above the floor. Blue hair framed pale skin, while an x-shaped scar knit the space between his eyes into a perpetual frown. "How do you know this Nova is a Keyblade wielder if she isn't using one?"

"Well, it's been a while, but I'm pretty sure it's the same person." Xigbar stared down at the man and rubbed at the back of his neck before he gave the entire group a lazy wave. If anything, the smirk grew wider. "Hard to forget someone you see wandering around Radiant Garden with a giant key."

A snort rumbled out of a burly man seated directly left and slightly below the highest throne. "You must be joking," he said. "That would have been ten years ago."

"More than that. This was back before Ansem the Wise really ramped up his heart experiments- years before some of you showed up to apprentice." Xigbar nodded from the other side in quick deference to their Superior. "I decided to keep an eye on her, when I still had one to spare."

"You had two?" Sarcasm snarked out of a man with wild red hair in a chair on the right. "What'd you do, scare the other one off?

The return smile showed even more teeth. "Funny. Sounds like someone wants a demonstration." Xigbar traced a jagged scar down the cheek under his good eye; flicked his fingers in a mocking salute. "I'm sure I can repeat the performance on you."

"Sure. Any time you wanna dance." Fire played at the edges of nasty humor. "We'll see how close you get."

"Why would you watch someone without provocation?" The blue-haired man interrupted their spar without preamble: blunt and focused.

"You think I wore that guard uniform just for laughs?" Xigbar shoved backwards into his seat with a grunt. "An ancient weapon straight out of legend drops in out of nowhere, I pay attention," he said.

At the far end of the nearly closed circle, a tall, elegant man with pink hair stirred. "We have spent months searching for Keyblade wielders. Now we find another exists that you hadn't bothered to mention before today. One would think you are holding even more secrets from us." His words fell wooden, detached from emotion: the accusation held nothing but dispassionate courtesy.

"Hey, it's been years for some of us, _friend_. And she skipped out long before the world fell. I don't know where she's been hiding."

"Nor why she isn't using her Keyblade, if, indeed she has that ability." The blue-haired man seemed lost in thought before his glance drifted to another chair. "Demyx."

A laconic figure to his left straightened out of a sprawl, suddenly more intent on the conversation. "Uh, what?"

"You said her heart was unusual when you examined it. Explain."

"Weeeell..." Demyx scratched the shaved side of his head. "It was... I dunno, not there. Or really hard to see. Kind of like aaaa..." he drew the vowel out; paused, then winced and finished: "Like a... Nobody with a heart?"

A snort echoed across empty space. "Your observations are flawed." The man directly to Xigbar's right surveyed his initial opponent with contempt in his cold gaze before it shifted to spear Demyx with an especially flat look. His voice held the same snide tones that had roped the rest of the room into their argument. "That is impossible."

"Well, c'mon," Demyx visibly gulped before continuing. "I don't know what's going on, like _ever_," he wheedled. "You guys are supposed to be the smart ones who figure this stuff out, not me."

"An honest admission," another man nearby observed idly. "I admire a challenger who knows when to withdraw from the field." Playing cards ruffled the air in quiet disregard as he continued to shuffle them.

Demyx slouched into an even looser interpretation of a seat. "Sure, whatever."

"An invisible heart. Interesting." The pink-haired man tapped the arm of his chair. A half-smile hovered around his lips: failed to fully manifest. "I am reminded of another possibility," he said. Quiet assurance clipped his tones into neat lines. "That new Keyblade wielder- the boy, Sora. He has visited several worlds and locked each one behind him to prevent the Heartless from devouring those worlds. When one is locked, the darkness cannot find the heart so easily. Could this not be something similar?"

The entire room settled around the question. Finally: "A locked heart? I've never heard of such a thing." The snide man stroked his chin. A strange gleam had settled behind the frost in his green eyes. "If that is true, it would be a curious affliction."

"And yet-" the blue-haired man shook his head with little sign of regret "-a Keyblade wielder without her key is of no help to us."

"No. But a heart in that state... this is a rare opportunity. She could be useful for my research."

"For what? Your little toy project?" A woman mocked him from the other side. Two slender knives appeared in her gloved hands; needle-sharp points dug into palms as she twirled them, over and over. "So _sorry_, Vexen. Thought we'd dropped that garbage idea in the trash already."

Chill tension spiked between them. "Your ignorance is appalling. The Replicas are not toys."

"Oh, they're not?" Her sympathy dripped with acid. "You've broken twelve of them so far."

A quick bark of laughter interrupted; Xigbar didn't bother to hide the taunting edge to his glee. "Might be tough," he jeered. "Even a Keyblade wielder without a key can put up a fight. Don't think you could charm her into coming along nice and quiet."

"Why is that a problem?" The burly man to their Superior's left seemed unimpressed. "We've never bothered asking before."

Vexen's head jerked backwards, scowl even more pronounced as his face took a sour edge. "No. No, there are too many unknown variables," he said. "We know so little about the condition of this heart: retrieval requires a delicate touch. I won't have any of you damaging the specimen."

"I can be delicate." One knife flashed into a fistful: the woman gave him a pointed smile to match. "I'll even say 'please'."

At that, the red-haired man rolled his eyes and leaned on his fist. "Delicate like a tram car," he muttered, deliberately loud.

"Ex_-cuse_ me?"

"Zexion." A wave of interest thrummed through the room: Vexen seemed unaware of the effect as he made a broad sweep with his arm and pointed. "You should go retrieve it."

Of the entire Organization, only two people had remained quiet throughout. One now stirred: glanced up from the tome he had been reading. Steel blue bangs draped over half of his face failed to obscure a new quirk of displeasure. "Curious," he said. "I don't recall when you were put in command."

"Regardless, Vexen is correct." The blue-haired man ignored the irritated snap of a book closed too quickly; he continued: "If this is our course of action, you are the most logical choice for the task."

"Indeed." Their Superior nodded sedate agreement. "It is an opportunity we cannot fail to pursue to our advantage." His deep voice resonated through them all: a decree to be obeyed at all costs. "If we do not to gain her weapon to our cause, then we shall benefit through Vexen's further research into her benighted heart. You will all scour the remaining worlds for this failed Keyblade wielder. Once our quarry has been located, Zexion, you are charged with her retrieval."

All subordinates signaled their assent with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Zexion folded his hands and bowed his head. "As you wish, Superior," he said.

"_Dismissed_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope no one saw that coming. I didn't expect it myself until after Demyx showed up in The Empire of the Sun, but now everything's gotten delightfully _messy_, hasn't it?  
I did mention I was excited to start including more familiar faces. =^-^=
> 
> Schedule update: The next chapter will post the first Sunday in January. I'd like to think I can get another one finished and thrown up in December as a bit of a treat for you all (especially since the last two have been shorter than usual), but that'll happen only if I manage to get a nice buffer on the next world. Wonder where we're going next, hmm? *whistles in jazz*
> 
> Changelog: Tags updated; minor adjustments on Chapters 30 and 32


	36. Traverse Town: Part I

"I'm never laughing again. _Never_."

A squishy _plonk!_ plopped through the center of the room. Nova's head came back up through the gummi ship exit. "You shouldn't do that," she said, as earnest and serious as she ever was about much more important things. The spear tapped the side of the hole with a soft, emphatic patter. "It's better to feel when you can."

Faced with a scowl and an unconscious growl, her teacher raised her empty hand and vanished down the ladder again. Selphie touched sore cheeks and winced. "Says you." More rebellious notes grumped out; her mouth opened and shut with a _snick!_ of irritation. "I'm not smiling, either."

Then she stuck out her tongue. And felt childish, but... better.

A little.

They'd landed on the new world in a cloud of gloom, even though Selphie hadn't dared to do anything but laugh for a _really_ long time. It had taken them forever to find something in the Other Sky besides Heartless and rocks and mountains of gummi blocks: she'd had to fill the engine three times, all by herself. Nova had been absolutely no help, something, something _problem with her heart_, something, something, but...

_Why can't she be happy?_

Smiles just happened. Feelings couldn't help how they bubbled up and spilled out and it was the best thing in the world when friends had fun together with her. _Everybody_ could laugh.

And yet, somehow, Nova didn't. A stray, weird cough had escaped a few times, but that had only given the gummi ship a hiccup or two of energy. Not enough to count.

Their situation reminded her a lot of Zell and his awkward, uncomfortable attempts at jokes. He'd never been very good at being funny on purpose, but that hadn't mattered so much. There was always a shared glee about knowing the punchlines were stupid and trying anyway. They'd laughed a lot, together, and Selphie had tried to find that happiness again: to dredge up moments so purposefully full of bad puns she'd never been able to avoid a helpless giggle every time they were repeated.

It had always worked. Before. Now, it was... harder than she expected. Thoughts of her brother already had a bitter edge. Wading through old memories without anyone to share them with- in front of someone who wasn't enjoying anything at _all_ -dried the humor out. It made the hurt deeper; made her feel even more alone.

That wasn't supposed to be unusual. Nova hadn't been surprised. She also hadn't supplied much more about the condition of her heart before she'd noticed the effect: only said something about connections and how they didn't work before she'd retreated out of sight like a library ghost and left Selphie to keep the ship going all on her own.

It was hard to be happy around someone who wasn't, that much was true. And Selphie didn't _want_ to be angry. But...

The jump rope whipped out and lashed the floor before she forced herself to roll it up into a neat set of loops and fix it on her belt. Then she took a few deep breaths, like the old mechanic had taught her: in through the nose; out through the mouth.

Slow.

Calm.

_Okay._

They'd gotten to another world. They'd landed without any problems. If everything was peaceful, and Heartless free, it was time for answers.

Something about the whole situation made her uneasy. Unhappy. Hearts meant so much: they connected friends together; could make weapons stronger, help them fight. Heartless _hurt_ people to get to their hearts. With everything Selphie had learned about how powerful hearts could be, not having access to her own...

It felt... _wrong_. Selphie didn't understand how she knew, but having a locked heart felt wrong. Like the way Nova's eyes had changed had felt wrong.

What happened when someone couldn't use their own heart? That was what a lock meant, right? Not being able to get to it?

Her teacher couldn't sense Heartless, and Heartless couldn't see her unless she made them pay attention. That had to be nice, kind of, not to have a bunch of darkness creatures always wanting to eat her heart, but, she was invisible in other ways, to regular people, too. If Selphie hadn't been friends with Sora, she would never have noticed his mom. Even now, she could barely remember anything about her teacher. _We talked sometimes... I guess?_ Aside from that one really silly moment that had forever given Zell a library phobia, nothing stuck out. Not without Sora around.

That was weird, too. _Why hadn't he noticed?_ Sora would have said or done... something, if he'd known.

But, Nova was her friend now. Even if she didn't think so, or maybe it was harder or she couldn't or something, Selphie still wanted to try. If her teacher could laugh, what would they laugh about? What did she like? What did she do when she wasn't swatting Heartless?

_And please could I have more lessons, because I want to do more of that. _

Selphie leaned over the opening. Large stones made a checkered pattern across a broad, clear plaza. Nova stood nearby, underneath a tall, sturdy pole with red, triangular banners fasted to its crossbeam. She glanced up from the journal she'd been writing in; slipped it into the one remaining pocket on her thigh. A gaping hole flapped on the other leg of her pants: matched everything else she wore that had turned out ragged and paint flecked and much worse for their adventures.

Selphie had expected to leave the islands, even if that hadn't happened at all like she'd planned. A change of clothes and potions and snacks and a lot of suddenly unimportant things had all been piled into her backpack. Nova... well...

They had munny. Heartless dropped little bits sometimes, along with wisps of green and clear bubbles that vanished as soon as they touched down. Remnants, her teacher had called them, and Selphie still didn't entirely understand why, but maybe they could find a shop?

She said as much. Grey eyes answered with their usual, unnatural calm before they slid away. "If there's a shop around, you need a new weapon first. After that-" Nova shrugged. Careful fingers carded through her hair. "If there's enough, I guess. Ready?"

_Augh._ Grumpy annoyance sent hair bouncing in all directions as Selphie stomped down the ladder. It was like her teacher was a squirrel again. Something- more than one thing -needed to be fixed, and Nova didn't seem to notice, or care, or _want_ to help herself.

_:"There's nothing to fix. It's broken. Like me. I'm broken.":_

_Not true._ _That's _not_ true_. Thoughts rang loud and fierce in time with each spongy _squeak_ of her sandals. Selphie pushed the ladder up and closed the hatch, still fuming.

_Why would you even think like that?_

The new world was an old, old town full of buildings with red, slanted roofs and mazes of streets. Nighttime gathered close in a deep, comfortable blanket specked with stars, while crooked lamp posts made islands of warm, yellow light. The plaza they'd landed in was a little different, built of grey and blue stone that complemented more star-shaped murals and neon signs; an artistic fountain of two dogs kissing noses burbled in the corner. Jazz peppered the sky with soft notes in distant harmony as she finally stepped far enough outside to hear it, somewhere on the other side of a big, wooden door labeled "1st District".

She had a moment, ire replace with wonder in the space of a breath, before a familiar popping noise jangled for attention. The music seemed to stretch to fit: Selphie turned her head and groaned. "Heartless."

They'd had to hop a heavy, crenellated wall to find the biggest, emptiest area available to accommodate the gummi ship. Now it seemed familiar shadows had spawned in greater numbers to fit the space. And a lot of them flew.

"_Wonderful_."

The spear whacked a new type of fluttering figure out of the sky before it could kick her in the back. Nova followed with a heavy sweep that flattened three more soldier-like Heartless in the middle of their twitching, erratic spins. "I suppose it is. If you wanted more practice."

"I wanted-? Oh, come _on_." Selphie rolled out of her dodge and snapped into another sideways tumble. Her weapon flicked out at the end, and caught another Heartless ready to jump. It _popped _with a puff of smoke. "I was being sarcastic, you know?"

A pair of claws twisted: came down together in an overhead strike. Nova took the hit on her shoulder, grunted, and turned to retaliate; saved the next thrust as purple bat wings pulled the flying shadow out of reach. "I don't," she said. "I'm sorry."

"You don't know how to be sarcasti- up!"

"Subtlety is lost on me." Her spear shot towards the sky, as instructed. Another Heartless vanished in a haze.

Sarcasm wasn't subtle, as far as Selphie knew. She called out more directions before darkness gathered somewhere above her left side: the next air soldier got a face full of jump rope handle for its trouble. Then she skipped backwards; caught her breath. "So- is that the same thing like- is that another thing with your heart? Like not being happy?"

"Yes." Nova used both hands to brace for another attack; absorbed the blow and, quick as thought, levered her weapon over, caught the Heartless with the trident end and slammed it into the ground. It recoiled. The little propeller on its hat made a sad little buzz as the creature vanished to nothing.

Another flip brought the spear back in at the ready and Selphie waited for more. Patiently, she thought. Enemies came: information did not. After several more solid _thwacks_ for emphasis, the jump rope swung into a wide arc and cleared room for her to run into her teacher's line of sight. "And that's why you can't do magic, too- oo!" she hopped at a sudden stop and squeaked at a stumble.

Arms flailed out: a Heartless swiped at her chest in a near-miss. The spear reached in the next moment and glowing yellow eyes faded into wispy motes of darkness. Selphie settled back onto her heels and continued without pause, "Right? It's all because your heart's locked."

"I- yes." Nova's face creased with something like pain before it smoothed out again.

Selphie pressed her advantage. "What else could you do? Before?"

A long sigh dredged out of some vast, endless supply rippled out. The spear cut down three more air soldiers, stabbed in quick succession with practiced ease. "I used to be much better at fighting," Nova admitted. Hands paused long enough to Selphie to see fingers tighten around the weapon: her teacher's next strike caught another soldier with more force as it tried to _clank_ out of the way.

"Better than _now_?"

"Yes."

That was- Selphie didn't believe it. Nova already fought better than anyone she'd ever seen before. True, she didn't have a lot of other people to compare that to, but- "So, why..." Her mind wandered to the next possible thing and demanded to stay there. "Why can't you just unlock it?"

"Every lock needs a key."

"A key..." She wondered out loud, even as she sent her jump rope into a furious spin. More Heartless scattered; there weren't many left now, but they still posed a distracting nuisance. As the last one crumpled under a firm, spear-driven _whack_, Selphie finally reached the solution her thoughts nagged at her to find with a triumphant yelp. "A _Keyblade_."

Dust scattered through the cleared plaza in a tiny cloud. Nova waved it away; sighed again. "Yes."

"Oh!" A grin destroyed her promise not to smile. Her cheeks twinged. "Sora could open it," she said.

"I suppose he could."

Now Selphie frowned. Her teacher didn't sound very emotional at the best of times, but a tiny fraction of a difference existed between 'normal' not-emotional and... whatever she'd just heard. It was hard to be sure and easy to miss. She gnawed on her lip before any more thoughts blurted out.

The solution was _easy_. If they could find Sora. Why wouldn't Nova be happy about it?

_Why can't she be happy?_

"What's all the racket?"

A sudden shout jolted them to attention. Selphie found the three tines of the spear hovering in front of her nose as she turned: it dropped out of her field of view in the same moment as her teacher straightened from a defensive crouch. "That's unexpected," she breathed.

"What?" True, they hadn't seen anyone else around yet, but...

The big plaza had three wide entrances in addition to the tall, wooden door, openings for more streets and alleys that led off to other parts of town she couldn't see. Selphie hadn't bothered to pay attention before: the Heartless had popped out from darkness wherever they pleased and interrupted any exploration. Now, a man stomped through a neglected alley in a wild frenzy. His long white beard had wrapped itself into a tangle on some kind of stick: the fist attached to it waved and jerked his own head around at the same time, even as he yelled: "Blasted Heartless, can't enjoy a moment's peace."

"And who brought this thing here?" Finally free of hair, the man's... _wand?_ -scribed crazy circles in the air, too fast to study, until he marched past them and pointed it at the gummi ship. "Cidric, if you think I'll stand for one of your confounded machines landing right outside my house, I'll- I'll- _higitus, figitus, migitus MIN!_"

The gummi ship exploded into glitter.

"_What?_"

One squeak of protest was all Selphie managed. She lost sight of Nova and the old man in a flood of blue fog and sparkles. Tiny pinpricks of spicy fire tickled her throat and choked it closed as she gasped in surprise.

A disembodied voice crept through the haze. "Hold your breath," Nova advised with a small hitch of sound. "It clears after a moment."

Lungs shuddered and doubled her over in a coughing fit. _I don't-_ Selphie twitched and fumed. Her ears roared with effort; she was too caught up trying to push the feeling out to yell; snarled inside instead: _say something faster!_

"Blast it all. Leaving a mess for others to clean up. Manners maketh man!" Most of the cloud had passed before the man appeared again. He stood nearby and scratched his head with the tip of his wand. A pointed blue hat with a crook at the tip wobbled at the mistreatment: flopped over as he started searching the ground. "Now where-"

"Hey. _Hey!_" Tired waves of muddled mist dispersed with the last of her coughs. Red banners fluttered along the walls, a sheepish salute to the plaza they surrounded.

The empty plaza. Their gummi ship- _her_ gummi ship -had vanished.

Selphie stomped her foot and croaked out more clouds. The jump rope was already swinging by the time she found her voice. "Hey- you put that back right now!"

A steadying hand caught her shoulder. Pressure pushed her into place before she could eject herself forward. Selphie glared upwards through silent, tear-filled exasperation.

Her teacher returned the look with one of pure sympathy before her expression eased to neutral. "Don't," she said.

By the time Selphie had shrugged free and re-armed her frustration, the man had noticed them. Finally. His face was a study of blank surprise. "Oh. Well." He blustered as he peered through a tiny pair of spectacles perched on his nose. "You're not Cid, are you?"

"No, they are most certainly not." A squawk dropped from above: Selphie ducked, Nova sidled backwards, and the man raised his eyes to his hat as a flurry of brown feathers settled on it just above the crook. A small owl emerged quickly from the messy shape; fluffed itself smooth, still nattering: "If you'd bothered to look first, you'd know. Now you've made a mess of things. Again."

The man crossed his arms. "Have I?"

"It _talks_." Selphie breathed. Then, she straightened and looked over her shoulder at Nova, who seemed more interested in her shoes than the _obvious_ magician. "Wait, you could talk. And Kuzco was a llama." Her attention snapped back to the owl. "Are you really a person?"

Indignation spluttered out. "I- are you implying the opposite? A person indeed!"

"Archimedes, now, now, there's no need to take offense." The man hid a grin under his hand. "These two might not know persons come in all shapes and sizes, would they? Depends on the order you're from. Some animals don't talk."

"But, I've met a Cat, and cards maybe count, and..." Selphie felt warmth creep up her cheeks. She scrubbed the ground with her toe. "Sorry."

"Oh, quite all right, quite all right." Archimedes seemed indifferent to the apology. The magician stroked his long, white moustache and appraised them with a keen eye. "Definite newcomers, aren't you? A little worse for wear. Recent refugees-" he rolled his r's with a taut grumble -"from the Heartless menace, I'll wager, and not through the usual mode of transportation."

"Don't you have a proper teleport?" The owl crossed his feathers and gave them a grim _hoot_. "The appropriate method is to leave one's ship in orbit when you visit another world. _Outside_ the order, not flying around overhead making all manner of noise."

"Oh!" Selphie fiddled with her weapon; glanced sideways at her teacher. "No, I... didn't know."

"Now, now, don't be like that, Archimedes. I doubt they meant any harm by it."

"We don't have a teleport device," Nova pointed out, so far under her breath Selphie had to strain to hear.

"I don't _think_ we have one. I don't even know what one looks like." _Are there different types?_ Selphie hadn't thought much about it. The pieces she'd found had fit, and they'd worked, but- "Is that kind of like a regular gummi, or...?"

"Well, there you go. I am not so familiar with the configuration and use of those strange blocks myself, but I am sure that is a problem easily solved." The old man smiled at Selphie. "First time on other worlds, is it? Always a few bumps in the road to start. And you are in luck: Traverse Town has its own resident gummi master. Cid should be able to set your craft to rights, indeed."

"Okay, but where'd you _put_ it?"

"Yes." Her teacher made a tentative noise in her throat. "Merlin-"

She froze mid-sentence in obvious dismay. The old man didn't seem to notice. "Oh, heard of me, have you?" He puffed up enough that his blue robe revealed a pair of soft, skinny shoes of the same color underneath. "Yes," he said, "I am Merlin. The wizard. Soothsayer. Prognosticator. But I see you know that. Have you- well, no doubt you've already met Archimedes-" the irate owl swiped at a prod from his wand "-er... haven't you?"

Nova pinched her nose. Selphie took a breath to speak, then bit down and spun to deliberately admire the fountain in the far corner of the plaza.

"No?" The wizard frowned out of the corner of her eye. "No, no, now, wait a moment. You've just arrived. You-" He examined them both in turn, bushy eyebrows drawn in different directions. It finally settled into a long, hard squint at her teacher; resolved to outright flabbergast that stuttered quietly out of Merlin's open mouth.

Uncomfortable silence followed. Teeth sawed her lip to a ragged edge: Selphie felt like she was vibrating hard enough to split the floor in two, she wanted so very badly to say _something_.

The owl spoke up first. "Well, I'll be," he said, quietly. "Nova, is that you?"

A low sigh came from the side. Her teacher had hunched over, stiff and tense, visible feelings flattened behind her fingers. The spear hit the floor with a deliberate _crack!_ as she shifted; raised her head. "Yes."

The wizard _gasped_. A wet sounding gargle escaped next: Merlin reached out and grasped Nova's free hand with both of his. Skinny arms trembled as they pumped up and down. "You- you... wh- well met, my girl, _well_ _met_."

"Unexpected," Archimedes sniffed a long and suspiciously heavy sniff before he slid along his hat perch to level the scowl that followed into a proper glare. "Where have you been, hmm?"

Vigorous hand-shaking ceased. Merlin scrambled backwards and pulled the owl with him. Both seemed equally distraught; the wizard had developed a sudden fierce frown."Harumph-mph-hmph!" he grunted. "That's right. That's right! Too many Heartless running around. Too many, and not enough of you masters to take care of them." The stern lecture settled on the other side of a shooing motion. "Now, now don't just stand around implying your impertinence- into the house with you. Kettle's already on." He waggled his finger in the air. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

"But- but what about my ship?" Selphie finally lost the battle with her tongue.

"Hmm?" All irritation vanished in an instant. "Oh, it'll wear off in an hour or two. My own version of 'mini': lasts longer." The old wizard smiled at her and pointed behind them. "Might as well pick it up and bring it along. Should fit in a pocket. Until it doesn't."

She didn't understand until a wild look around bluish walls and tiles finally came to rest on a tiny blob of gummi in the middle of the plaza. Selphie scooped up the colorful, toy-sized version of her ship- _her ship_ -and turned the model over and over in her hands. "This is... really?" _Mini?_ "When... doesn't it fit in a pocket?"

Merlin touched the side of his nose and winked. His eyes still looked a little damp. "Oh, you'll know. Hah. You'll know. Now, come along you two. No slouching."

He took off at a brisk walk in the same direction he'd entered from. There was a short, alleyway that ended in a door with a huge stylized flame at the end: Selphie could see it now, with her back to the sign leading to the first district. She paused there, undecided. Merlin had simply assumed they'd follow- and the owl was squinting backwards at them -but...

"Miss Nova? Do you really... know him?"

Her teacher startled. Fingers laced tightly around the spear; more emotions flitted across her face before every possible expression faded to preternatural calm. "All right." She squared her shoulders and paced after the wizard. "Let's go have tea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to start peeling back the layers. 
> 
> On another note, of course the music in Traverse Town is diegetic. Why wouldn't it be?
> 
> Welcome to the (almost) new year, everyone! I'm a little early, but I am so, _so_ ready to start posting again. Hope you are all ready to do some reading. :)
> 
> And, announcement time! Rather than giving it a full month between updates this year, I'm going to post once every other week, 1st and 3rd Sundays, starting in February. (January gets one on the 2nd and the 4th after today because it's a five week month and that leads very nicely from now into the new schedule. Other five week months might get an extra update or a longer break, depending on how the writing is going. I'll keep y'all apprised.)
> 
> Why the change? Honestly, part of it stems from the fact that every other week actually went quite well in November. I'd worried about trying to do something more frequent without a nice buffer before, but I'm always running into and out of my 'extra' chapters once it's time to post, so that doesn't seem to matter. And something about an every other week schedule seems to encourage enough momentum to keep going, without shrinking my writing/editing/panicking time too far. Might still take some slightly longer breaks (end of month, maybe end of year), if needed, but I'm hoping not to. We're headed places with this story and I am ready to _go_.
> 
> (And nervous, but that's... a normal and inevitable hazard I have learned to expect as constant background chatter to everything creative I do. Hooray.) *sigh*
> 
> Changelog: I've been going back and forth on the "Canon-Typical Violence" tag for a while. On one hand, I don't _know_ if I'm going to stick with that for the entire run (it's not finished, hard to make that call for future-me), but on the other, I can't see breaking the trend any time soon. Not certain I'd have a compelling enough reason to.  
If an individual chapter includes anything more than the tag implies, I'll add it to the header's content warning going forward. Fair?
> 
> Also, it appears there isn't a tag for Sora's Mom & Selphie, so... I have now made a new tag. 
> 
> Huh.
> 
> Someone else, take it and run with it, would you? I'd love to see more side character shenanigans, thank you ever so much. <3


	37. Traverse Town: Part II

She had become accustomed to the sound of glass.

Brittle echoes _thumped_ into empty space: a flutter of wings desperate for flight. Relentless pounding on the other side of her heart had reduced to a dull, vague pain that tickled through her lungs with every hitch of breath, every pass of blood from one beat to the next. She expected it: understood. Too many things had changed. Too many feelings reached for well-worn hooks in an empty house and found nothing to attach to, beat aimlessly at abandoned rooms before grey walls pinioned fast and pulled them down, down, _down_.

Merlin had simply caused more to stir. Fed the growing ache.

It would pass.

Nova stared into a familiar ancient teacup and saw other times. Other places.

Other... faces.

The hum of effort quickened. Deepened.

_You're not getting out._

She closed her eyes and drowned memories in one long gulp.

**_Bitter._**

_Yes._

"...would you be careful with that!" Archimedes flew past her in a flurry, to the other side of the tea table, and set his usual perch down with a _thonk!_ The twig carved on top of a flat wooden block added extra height to fluffed, towering outrage as he glared down at one of the piles of books stacked shoulder-high from the floor. "Some of those have been around longer than you've been alive. Certainly longer than most sensible beings can possibly imagine. Best be cautious and not, not- _meddle_ in things you don't understand."

Paper rustled from somewhere on the other side. "I'm just looking at the titles." Selphie's disembodied voice replied. 

"All the more reason to do it from the ground!"

Merlin's house- this version of Merlin's house, as he had lived many places -was hidden inside of a steep, closed canyon: a squat little tower dropped quite neatly on top of a tiny island in the middle of a small lake. Neglect showed everywhere, from the boarded over front door to the un-patched gaps in the pointed, hat-shaped roof. Part of the chimney was held upright by a fishing pole and some string; the entire house listed to the left as far as it could, propped on heavy wooden poles pushed deep into dirt. They'd found their entrance through an unassuming flap of green cloth tacked across a hole chiseled into the wall. Selphie had given her a dubious look before entering; Nova had tried very hard not to turn around on her own way through.

It would be fine.

_You're not getting out._

_Never._

Inside, it looked much the same as it always did. The wizard's home occupied a single, cozy room packed to the brim with books and a chalkboard, a small bed and a stove, more books, a much smaller version of Yzma's potion mixing set, a toy carriage, a telescope, more books, and even more books. A raised stone dais set with a round table and mis-matched chairs crowded everything else to the edges: that was new. Merlin balanced precariously on the side of it as he leaned over to pour more tea into her cup. "Now, now, Archimedes," he said. "You can manage to be a little more polite to our guests. Although-" the wizard pulled a watch out of his pocket and peered at it "-you are a half hour late, you know."

"I doubt you knew we were coming," Nova blew away steam and banished dreams.

"Well, I knew _someone_ would be visiting today." The watch vanished somewhere back inside his robes. "You should know to expect that sort of thing, my girl." He winked.

A shout of triumph came from the top of a stack. Selphie slithered to the ground and waved her new prize aloft: a beat-up old tome with a stained green binding. "Look, Miss Nova, they've got _Melmond's Mixing Magic_!"

"Of course we do." The owl seemed smug and perturbed all at once. He minced around his perch, head first, and tracked Selphie as she skipped closer to the table. "You most certainly cannot provide a proper education without foundational study materials. But that doesn't mean you- you- you-" wings fanned in a wide arc; flattened in a rush "-_bumble_ 'round a wizard's house trying to find them."

"Foundational? For magic?" Treats and tea things scattered as a mismanaged chair caused another minor upset. Irritable _hoots_ followed on the subject of splash damage; Selphie ignored him, and finished rearranging herself into her new seat. Arms tightened around the book: made her breathless from the pressure. "Do you teach magic?" she demanded of Merlin. "Could you teach me?"

"Oh. Well. Certainly I could impart a few spells." Tea trickled freely as the old wizard scratched at his beard with the spout of the teapot. "I am surprised you haven't begun some sort of lessoning yourself, Nova. You have every qualification."

_Every qualification and no actual ability._ "I thought..." Nova took a small, delicate sip. Paused as one side of her mouth twitched. "I thought the masters told everyone who needed to know," she said. _Careful_. "About me."

**_Say something._**

_No._

An unidentifiable emotion moved behind his eyes: dimmed as Merlin made a low noise in his chest. He set down the teapot and moved further down the table to collapse into a comfortable old chair. A brisk clearing of his throat followed. "_Harumph_. Why yes, I suppose... seeing you out and about again, I shouldn't have assumed, you'd..." he pulled his spectacles off and wiped them with his moustache. "Well, that changes things, doesn't it?"

"Masters of what?" Selphie was staring. At her.

_No._

"You mean to say you don't know?" Archimedes interrupted with an unhelpful scowl. "Whyever not?"

Nova's cup rattled loudly as it dropped on a chipped saucer.

The inside of her felt fragile.

Hollow_._

Rang like a drum as incessant, erratic thumping continued.

She looked from one side of the table to the other and had nothing to say.

"Oh."

A sigh reached across. Merlin's hand followed, and patted her curled-up fist where it gripped part of the tablecloth with stiff discomfort. "Oh, it never returned, did it?" He retreated, and replaced the spectacles on the tip of his nose. "Archimedes, perhaps we should leave off for now, lest we make at least one of our guests too uncomfortable."

"Hmph." The owl subsided and bent to tidy his feathers with a dour frown. "Don't think you're getting out of a good explanation," he said, with a _snick_ of his beak. "Sounds like we've not heard the entire story."

"I doubt you missed much," Nova murmured, wary.

Tired.

**_Say something._**

_No._

"But-"

"So, what about _you_ then, hmm?" Archimedes seized the conversation; left them all groping for balance. A glowering appraisal darted between the book and Selphie as if he wanted to snatch one from the other. "New to magic, hmm? What else? Know how to read, do you? How to write?"

The girl bridled: visibly swallowed the rest of what she had opened her mouth to say. "Of course I do. I write most of the school paper." She bit her lip and glanced down. "I mean, I guess I_ wrote_ most of it, since it's gone, but... hey. Hey, how did you- well, you're a wizard, so that makes sense, I guess, but... I mean, we have- _had_ a copy of this." She waved the book overhead. "In our library." A cookie vanished off of a nearby plate. "Were we supposed to? Worlds have to have order, so they can't share that kind of stuff, right Miss Nova?" Loud chewing ran parallel to the problem. She swallowed and snatched another treat; pointed with an accusing thumb of gingerbread. "Waitasec, was it yours?"

"No. I didn't bring much with me." _I didn't have anything left_. She picked up her cup; put it down. A slow series of _clinks_ followed: Nova absently recovered distressed dishes as she sorted through them. One particular bowl caught her attention. She tapped the side and frowned. "Sugar?"

"Hold a moment." An imperious flick caught crockery off-guard. It jumped and animated in an instant: waddled towards Merlin.

Selphie gasped. A yell from the wizard quickly covered her surprise. "No, no, no, manners!" He waved it away. "Guests first, you know that."

The fat little pot scrambled backwards to recover. One handle spun on a rivet to straighten its lid like a hat; a smart _clap_ of a hinge ejected the teaspoon into the other. Then the sugar bowl moved over to Nova's cup and began to enthusiastically off-load.

**_One, two- _**"**_When._** Say 'when' if you're finished." She nudged it over to Selphie with an mild, shooing motion, stirred her tea, and tried it again.

Painful banging ceased for a brief, wild moment. An echo of pleasure rippled down instead.

Nova pulled the cup away and gave it a curious look.

Sweet. 

**_Perfect._**

_Is it?_

She liked her tea sweet. Used to; still did. Simple satisfaction mingled with a tiny thrill of surprise: both feelings flinched away as the assault on her heart resumed.

"How did you _do_ that?" A full teacup splashed as Selphie pulled it hastily into position. The little bowl scurried around wet droplets and started throwing spoonfuls of sugar out in a rain.

"Nova has experienced my dishware before, of course." Threadbare padding _creaked_ under his elbows. Merlin spoke slowly, eyebrows drawn into a thoughtful knot. "She is a former student of mine- one of the more talented in the magical arts. Had even gone so far as to develop a specialty, if fate hadn't intervened."

"Specialty?"

"Yes. Most who specialize in the magical arts tend to develop an affinity for a singular type. Can't break the laws that bind the universe together, oh-ho no, but familiarity breeds a unique understanding. Know the rules well enough to bend them, you see, and, uh..." he shook himself, and switched targets. "Do you know, I quite forgot to ask your name."

"This is Selphie." Nova spoke quickly. Renewed familiarity left her with an aching chest and aimless confusion. Vivid feelings slipped through like water: snippets of an abandoned life left to _plink_ against glass.

_ :Sparks lit fingertips in a crackling rain:_

_ :She and Wart looked up with guilty smiles, their backs to the kitchen door. "What?":_

_ :A black-haired girl dragged her down a long, white hall, laughing all the way: "She did it! She did it!":_

Focus narrowed to firm concentration through sheer force of will. _Stop that. Stop..._ "She's my fr-" _what?_ "...we're-" 

"Friends. We're friends." Selphie seemed determined to make that distinction: she gave Nova a pointed stare before leaning over to prod the sugar bowl. It sidled, and the lid snapped closed with a quick _snick!_ in the space her fingers had been. "_When_," she whispered. Crockery shivered immediately out of range and hopped towards the next target. A giggle dropped; faded fast as her face grew forlorn. "Me and Miss Nova, we left home together, when it..."

_When it fell._ Darkness dimmed memories in a slow cascade, fragments of bittersweet and long-ago replaced with more recent, painful loss.

Words failed.

_I failed / **We failed.**_

Nova, already struggling, couldn't find any thoughts to follow the frustrating scatter of fragile echoes outside of her heart. She twisted her cup on its saucer with a quiet, porcelain _scrape._

The little sugar bowl clacked by itself for a while as it tracked across the table, through dishes and around the miniaturized gummi ship. Archimedes finally filled frazzled silence with a muttered: "Hit by the Heartless, eh? Sad business."

"Sad business indeed," agreed the wizard. "Too many refugees with the same story in this small haven," he said. "But, _hrm_, we've made the best of it, haven't we?"

"If by best you mean we've made do with a tumble-down old tower that isn't quite a tower as far from the mess outside as we can get, I suppose that'll be the truth." The owl crossed his feathers and scowled. "Worked quite well. Peaceful, as a point of fact, until you two decided to fly overhead."

"Now, now, Archimedes. I shouldn't need to remind _you_ to have some manners. We are delighted you're here," Merlin smiled at Nova, who merely stared. Something sad twisted the old wizard's face; he made another undefined noise and pointed at the potion book instead. "_Ahem_. Now to answer your other question, if I may. I believe your library contained a copy of that text because that was where it needed to be."

The book landed on the table with a pointed _thud!_ that caught the sugar bowl mid-scurry. It rattled out of range before it could roll over. "That doesn't make any sense," Selphie said, with an apologetic wince.

"Ah. Know better already, do you?" A trace of humor escaped as the old wizard waggled an eyebrow at her. "Then I'm sure you are aware that all the worlds, most stars in the sky, in fact, used to exist as a single, vast world?"

"They were?"

"Oh, yes. There was a war, you see, and it, uh..." He adjusted his spectacles with a curious glance sideways. "What have you learned already?"

"I mean-" she gulped a noisy mouthful of tea "-Miss Nova's taught me about darkness and light and hearts, and a bunch of other things."

"Rudiments of using the heart. Initial forms and combat drills." An uncomfortable, half-formed feeling prickled: Nova waited for it to wither before she continued with a brusque: "Basic defensive skills, as much as I can."

"No magic? At all?"

Taut irritation bloomed. Her knee started to judder under the table. "No."

Selphie's frown was a question Nova didn't have an answer to. She shook her head and tried to think- _stop thinking._

**_Coward._**

Yes. _No!_ But-

It was simpler to be unknown. Unknowable. Invisible. Lost. Other people had tried to help. Before. And-

_:"Your power is dangerous. Unprecedented. I have never seen this much darkness inside of a heart without a Heartless to claim it. I do not know if it can be contained without being severed, as the lock has done.":_

Words carried as she shied away from the rest. Another memory with a stern reminder of the results.

**_Protect._**

_Yes._

Calm descended. Merlin was studying her through his spectacles, as if her presence was a puzzle and he hadn't found all the right pieces to make a full picture.

_Good enough._

"I thought..." Nova stopped her knee with a firm hand and checked her cup. Empty: she poured herself more tea, and said, "Since I haven't- I don't-" _can't _"-teach magic, would you show her something? Since we're here?"

"Hmm. Yes, I... suppose." Hasty rumination sent the wizard from the table to sort through the nearest heaping pile of books with rising gusto. "Yes, of course. Informational instruction first," he exclaimed. "That's the ticket."

"_Pinfeathers_." Archimedes grumbled at all of them and gave Nova a suspicious glare before he snatched a cup out from underneath another impending sugar deposit. The owl clutched it close; shooed the animated bowl off with his talon. 

It made a motion like a shrug and hopped along on its mission. Merlin continued as if he hadn't noticed either of them: several tomes went into the growing selection on his arm. "I should best explain- well, no, no back to your _Melmond's Mixing Magic_, shall we?" He seized the copy off the table to demonstrate before shuffling it into his own rising stack. "Books are not mere extensions of the heart. Many contain their own special kind of magic, you see. A sort of... well, they can _remember_, can't they? The way the world was. The things their author felt as they were being written. Why, some can even-" he cut off, muffled by a map that rolled off the top of a bumped shelf and over his head. "Confound it-" the wizard refused to mangle it back into shape and shook the offending canvas into a sorry heap on the floor. Then he readjusted for wobble on his carefully balanced pile and "-some can even hold whole worlds inside their pages-" heavy volumes landed; made tea jump with an emphatic _thump!_ "-you see?"

Selphie looked from the heap of books to the wizard and back again. "Not... really," she said.

"Well. They're- when, when, blast it all, _when!_"

The sugar bowl, who had begun diligent application of sweetener into Merlin's cup until any lingering tea had been displaced with a mountain of white, startled and hurried behind the miniaturized ship at the other end of the table.

Nova moved an idle elbow and bumped gummi blocks into a better barrier. She picked up her cup in the same motion and sipped.

"Impudent piece of crockery, I don't... ah..." the old wizard deflated as he dusted off the disastrous deluge. "Waste of sugar, isn't it? Now, here." He sat down again; pointed with a long, narrow finger. "Listen here. You exist in a reality that draws its greatest strength from that which resides in the heart, my girl. How you feel is _everything_ to the heart. Your belief is _everything_. Belief creates the power between these pages." He pounded the top of his stack with the flat of his hand. "Creates connections. Tells them where they're needed."

"It's supposed to make my weapons stronger if I believe in them."

"Yes. Correct. Not surprising the objects we believe in develop a little power of their own, is it? A good imagination and lots of effort, that's the ticket. And indeed, how all magic functions, as well. For example, if you wanted to learn to cast a spell- fire's often the easiest to start with -you would take this stick-" his wand stretched across the table "-and imagine a spark of flame exists at the end. Have you ever roasted marshmallows? Wonderful analogy- terrible culinary accident. I once lost an entire-"

"Merlin." Archimedes interrupted with a weary _hoot_.

"But- but-" Selphie held the wand gingerly with both hands. "Don't I have to say some words or-"

"Oh, no, no. No." Voluminous sleeves flapped like banners as Merlin gestured. "Simply imagine that it is there, convince yourself of that undeniable truth, and you'll have it," he said. "Some people chant or wave things around, certainly, but only to help focus. The rest is all stuff and nonsense unless it works for you.

"Now the key, however, is that once you have believed magic into being, it exists. Fire burns. Ice freezes. Lightning- well, you'll understand. Now, now try again. With the wand, if you please."

Selphie squinted at the rounded end. After a long moment, a tiny wisp of smoke drifted away, quickly lost. "Uhm," she said.

"Is that all? Come now, come now, put your back into it."

A thin layer of tea wavered; reflections rippled with it. "There's nothing wrong with using a word to make it real," Nova offered, without looking up. She didn't need to see.

She didn't need to _want_.

Someone inhaled. Breath held for a moment.

Released.

"_Fire._"

Crackling embers _whooshed_ to life; Selphie yelped as a tiny fireball hit the ceiling with a _bang!_

Sparks flew every which way. Archimedes _squawked_ and dove behind the gummi ship to huddle with the sugar bowl. Nova reached out without seeing to methodically crush nearby cinders.

Merlin chortled. "Ho, ho-ho! Very good, very good." He pinched a fizzle off of his moustache and blew out of his mouth: quickly, as if blowing out a candle. Wind _cracked_ through the room. Books jumped; eyes blinked. The tablecloth flapped as Archimedes bunched it with startled talons. A flurry of smoke and loose papers wreathed a smile as the wizard resumed his lecture. "Now, would you say you felt a minor draining effect as your fire manifested? That is the physical component to your belief, a type of ethereal energy, if you will. It is your ability to create something from nothing, except that nothing isn't a true nothing at all but a highly complex-"

"I cast a spell." Delight brimmed off of Selphie in waves. Her head snapped up: threw joy everywhere in the room as she grinned from ear to ear. "I cast a _spell!_"

Nova understood. Warmth surrounded her from all sides: a welcome, beckoning invitation. She could feel residual traces of it from behind glass, as light rippled across the surface of her heart in a rapturous cascade. It felt wonderful.

Distant.

Something _squeezed_ in reply.

"Congratulations." She swallowed the lump of bitter tea in her throat and set down her cup with a _clatter_. "I should...go." Sunlight had already begun to dim: Selphie's happiness was tapering away, to disappointment; sadness. Her own feelings seemed impossibly distant, but Nova still _knew_ how hesitation leeched away shared joy. "I'll be-" she stood, stepped down off of the platform, and reached for her spear, all in one fluid motion "-I'll be outside if you need me."

"Wait." The table erupted in a clamor of protests. Merlin reached out first; stopped himself from actual touch with a stiff jolt of withdrawal that was painful to see. "Nova, I- you haven't been acting yourself, and I know I should..." he fumbled for his chair; sat heavily. Knobby knuckles curled tight around his own teacup as the old wizard drooped over it. "I should have been there for you through some of it. All of it. When Master Yen Sid finally told me what had happened to you girls, I-"

Two paces from door, and she might as well have forgotten how to use one. Nova tried to concentrate past the sudden increase of pounding on the other side of glass and couldn't. A fist raised to her chest to _push_ it back, to push her heart back into its place. "There was nothing you could have done," she said, numb even before gray walls advanced. Names and faces floated up, within easy reach. She refused; stared at the green curtain in front of her and refused to think of them: to think of where she'd _left_ them-

"No. Perhaps. No way to know, is there?" Merlin sighed and shook his head. "Even my magic cannot access every part of the past. Much as I'd try to change things for the better. Much as we'd all like to. But, I should say, at the very least, that I am glad to see you somewhat recovered. A little different, but that's to be expected, I suppose. I would have visited sometime, but with this other crisis on our hands... well. And your aunts had suggested they'd be keeping an eye on your recovery at the start- you and your... boy?" He glanced back to Selphie for a moment before he deflated further. "Oh. Yes, that's right. You've probably lost- I can only assume..."

Her throat closed. _Not lost, not gone, not..._

_...not like..._

_...not yet..._

"Blast this terrible business. We've all been distracted these last few years." Merlin took off his spectacles and gave them a savage cleaning with his moustache. "So many worlds lost. So many friends taken. But that is a poor reason to have left you to fend for yourself for so long, isn't it?" He shook his head. "I am sorry, Nova."

"I'm fine." The words ground out automatically.

"Yes, I suppose you are, but-"

"It's fine, Merlin. It's... fine." Nova interrupted. She winced at the ache; took two sharp breaths and turned. _Maybe..._ "About my son, he's-"

"_No._" The girl, forgotten, overrode them both with a ferocious scowl. "She's not fine. You are _not_ fine."

Her stomach clenched. "Selphie."

_Don't._

**_Say something._**

_No._

**_Please._**

_I can't-_

Her **_friend_** ignored all the noise, inside and out, and demanded: "Your heart is _locked_. How is that fine?"

Glass _crinkled_ in silence. Nova dropped her head and closed her eyes.

Two voices sputtered at once; squawked in unison. "Wh- /Wh-**_ what, what?_**" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever notice that no one really uses the name of the spell they're casting? They just shout out whatever and it... happens.
> 
> Huh.
> 
> Oh, hey, Merlin, way to roll a 1 on that perception check. Characteristically justified, but!
> 
> On another topic, I think the update schedule is going to work. The rest of January is already in the bag, and I've been hacking at February (up to six drafts of a single chapter, woo!). Lots of extra stress this week (from... somewhere...), but we'll keep plodding along as best we can. Be safe, everyone.


End file.
